A Narnian Tale, Part 2: Always and Forever
by WhiteRoseMarie
Summary: The Four Siblings return to Narnia, but this time they are not alone. Clueless Nerine joins them on this crazy adventure and she has no idea what is in store for her. A mysterious Edmund is not really helping much. And neither are the weird flashbacks...
1. Nerine

**A/N: HELLO! This is the sequel to Dancing in the Rain. A quick note that if you haven't read the first story, I suggest you do before moving on to this one. Or else you will be really confused.**

**Anyway, I'm really excited about this and i can't wait to embark on another wonderful journey. **

**So...without further ado...**

**The first chapter of Always and Forever! :)**

**By the way...the way to pronounce Nerine is _Nuh-reen_. Just in case you'll were wondering. ;)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Nerine<strong>

High above the landscapes of the great Narnia, in the sky and clouds, a certain Daughter of Eve looked down upon the land she once called home, and still considered it such.

She watched four monarchs ride through the woods, chasing after a certain White Stag. She had forgotten what it felt like to sit upon a horse and ride through the woods. The feeling of the wind and of the earth, all were numb to her as she sorrowfully gazed at her four loved ones, watching a certain Just King especially closely.

Suddenly, feeling a presence behind her, she turned to find a great beast walk up to her, its mane glorified by the rays of the sun.

"It is time."

The Daughter nodded almost obligingly as she turned back to find the siblings disappear behind the thick coats and branches.

Slowly, she turned back to Aslan, who watched her with great pride and love, but at the same time, sadness and apprehension. He watched the Daughter slowly close her eyes for a moment, breathing deeply before opening them with more will and strength than ever.

"I am ready."

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><p><span>Edmund's POV (One year later):<span>

"You're welcome." I mumbled as I placed my trunk on the floor and squeezed onto the bench next to Peter.

"I had it sorted." He haughtily replied, getting up and pacing around.

I rolled my eyes at his arrogant behavior.

_If getting his butt kicked was him having it sorted, then by all means, he certainly had it sorted._

"What was it this time?" Susan asked in her usual motherly tone.

"He bumped me." He replied, as if it was the most obvious answer on Earth.

"So you hit him?" Lucy asked in disbelief and disappointment.

"No. After he bumped, they tried to make me apologize. That's when I hit him." He answered coolly.

"Really, is it that hard just to walk away?" Susan sarcastically replied, glaring at Peter.

"I shouldn't have to! I mean, don't you ever get tired of being treated like a kid?" He asked in frustration.

"We are kids." I pointed out with a sarcastic laugh.

"Well I wasn't always."

_Oh no. _

_He just had to bring up that topic._

Our faces immediately changed as we realized what Peter was referring to. Susan glanced at me with a worried expression. I simply looked back with a straight but knowing face. She knew I was sensitive when it came to that topic, but I learnt to not let my emotions easily show.

"It's been a year. How long does he expect us to wait?" Peter asked in exasperation as he sat back down next to me.

"I think it's time to accept that we live here. It's no use pretending any different." Susan chided as she crossed her arms.

I was about to reply when I heard a voice from behind me.

"Excuse me, Edmund?"

I turned to be greeted by blue eyes and a gentle smile.

_Oh no._

"You dropped this." Nerine said as she held out my wallet.

"Thanks." I curtly replied, grabbing the wallet and turning away as quick as possible, but not before catching a glimpse of her hurt face.

Lucy glared at me before looking up at the blue-eyed-brunette.

"Hi Nerine. How are you?" she politely asked.

I tried my best to look away, but I couldn't help but stare at Nerine as she spoke.

"I'm fine, Lucy. Hi Susan, Peter." She smiled at them.

I knew she wasn't going to greet me as well because whenever she did, I never responded.

Susan engaged in some small talk with Nerine and I got a flashback of when we first met Nerine about 10 months back.

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><p><em>Flashback:<em>

_"Hey Pete. Where's Mum?" I asked as I entered the living room._

_Peter looked up at me from his game of crossword and shrugged._

_"I think she went to the market."_

_I nodded and plopped myself down on one of the new couches we got after our home was repaired from its shattered state after the air raids._

_Suddenly, the doorbell rang._

_"I'll get it!" Lucy yelled from the hallway outside our living room._

_"Were we expecting guests?" I casually asked Peter._

_"Mum mentioned the new neighbors probably dropping by for a visit."_

_Before I could answer, I heard a gasp from the front door and Lucy yell._

_"Edmund! Peter! Susan! Come here quickly!"_

_Her tone was almost distressed. Peter and I jumped up immediately and ran over to the front door, with Susan coming down from upstairs not far behind us._

_When we reached the front door, I stopped dead in my tracks, causing Peter to bump into me and Susan to bump into him._

_Lucy was standing to the side, holding the door open as she looked at us with a worried and confused face._

_A young girl, around my age, stood there with her long brown wavy hair tied up in a messy bun. She wore a floral knee-length skirt and a plain white shirt. She had full lips with a tint of pink lipstick which was curved into a gentle smile, and the bluest of eyes._

_After about eternity of staring at the girl, I took a shaky step forward._

_"Ella?"_

_I saw the girl give me a confused look as her smile slowly disappeared and she shook her head slightly. She opened her mouth and out came the smoothest velvet voice which made my heart flutter._

_"Sorry. But my name is Nerine." She spoke softly and calmly._

_We all continued staring at the girl in disbelief._

_It was like Ella was standing right in front of us._

_Susan finally spoke up, probably seeing how awkward the brunette felt._

_"Hi N-Nerine. Are you our new neighbor?" she hesitantly asked._

_The girl nodded her head demurely, her eyes twinkling._

_"That's right. My parents wanted me to drop by to say hello. I heard you and your sister go to St. Finbar's? I just transferred there." She smiled._

_Lucy snapped out of her trance and welcomed her in. She brought her to the living room, sitting her down on one of the couches. As Nerine talked about herself, I just kept staring at her, thinking my eyes were playing tricks on me._

_She was the carbon copy of Ella._

_The way she sat._

_The way she talked._

_Even the way she smiled and laughed._

_Suddenly, she noticed me staring at her and looked down shyly and awkwardly. Peter saw me too and asked me to join him in the kitchen to get some snacks._

_In the kitchen, he closed the door and turned to me._

_"Ed. Are you alright?" he cautiously asked._

_It took me a few seconds to recover from the shock of things before I replied._

_"Am I alright? Oh I'm perfectly fine, Peter!" I laughed._

_"Are…you…sure?" he asked, looking at me as if I had gone mental._

_"Of course! Why wouldn't I be? I mean…the girl I loved, who died in my arms and whom I had to live without for a year in Narnia and 3 months here, suddenly appears on my doorstep as a completely different person with no idea as to who I am. And she lives just across the street! So why wouldn't I be fine!" I exclaimed hysterically as I plopped down onto a high chair at the kitchen counter._

_"Look. Ed. I know this must be hard for you. But you got to understand this girl is not Ella. She's Nerine. She just looks like Ella. She doesn't know anything about Narnia or us or who she resembles. We just have to see it as a coincidence that she looks like the Ella we knew. Now come on, we have to go back out there and treat her as our neighbor with courtesy and respect." He said._

_"I'm sorry, Pete. But I can't go out there again and look at that girl and talk to her when all I see is Ella. It's like...she still looks like Ella. But she's not _my_ Ella. It hurts to see the one you love look at you with absolutely no feeling or recognition whatsoever." I whispered as I stared out of the kitchen window at the girl chatting happily with Susan and Lucy._

_"Alright Ed. I understand. I'll make up something." Peter said before walking out of the kitchen with a tray of biscuits and cookies._

_I took one final look at the girl named Nerine before turning away and heading out into the backyard._

_There was just no way I could talk or even look at this girl._

_It was just too painful._

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><p>"Ow!"<p>

Lucy's sudden outburst pulled me out of my thoughts as she jumped up and stood next to Nerine.

"Quiet, Lu." Susan muttered under her breath.

"Something pinched me!" she exclaimed, pointing at her seat.

"Hey, stop pulling!" Peter shouted as he too jumped up.

"I'm not touching you!" I snapped back.

Soon, I too felt like something was tugging at me, like an invisible force, and I jumped up as well.

"What's going on?" Nerine exclaimed as we looked around to find posters and wall tiles being violently ripped out and the whole train station fall apart.

"You feel it too?" Lucy asked as the train arrived and whipped past us at such a speed it nearly toppled us over.

"Quick. Everyone hold hands." Susan ordered.

Peter forced me to grab onto his hand, much to my annoyance.

Suddenly, I heard a shriek from beside me and I turned to see Nerine stumbling backwards from losing her balance and nearly falling into the fast-moving train.

I immediately reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her flush against me.

She looked up at me in fear and panic as her hair whipped around her face from the strong wind. I gazed into her deep ocean orbs as she gripped my hand tightly.

Clearing her throat, she finally stepped away but still held onto my hand as the five of us looked ahead to see as the train zoomed by, the walls of the other side of the train station slowly disappear.

Finally, the train zipped away into a white light and we found ourselves standing in a cave.

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><p><strong>AN: And that is the first chap of my sequel!**

**Just a quick reminder that voting is still on...**

**Please please please choose Susan/Caspian or Susan/OC.**

**I'm going to include Susan's element in this story as well, so that vote is really important.**

**Or else this story will not develop! :O**

**SO PLEASE VOTE!**

**And don't forget to REVIEW as well! :)**


	2. A Trip Down Memory Lane

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks to everyone who added this to their favs/alerts! And just to let you know, after much thought, i have finally decided to do...Susan/Caspian! Mostly because i feel it works better with my future stories. But don't worry, I will add on much more than just the movie. Even I felt the original Suspian relationship is a bit of a let down. And so i shall enhance it and give it more depth in this story! Feel free to review your thoughts about this decision! :)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: A trip down memory lane<strong>

Nerine's POV

I let go of Edmund's hand as I stared at what lay ahead of me. It was a white, sandy beach with blue pristine waters lapping at the shoreline. The sea stretched far out, and the horizon was barely noticeable. The sun was high in the sky and white cotton clouds were floating in the pale blue canvas. I noticed the four siblings walk forwards in a straight line, all staring in awe at the scene in front of them. But I stayed back in the cave. I was too shocked and scared to even move or breathe.

I was about to go into hysteria before something caught my attention from the corner of my eye. There was something on the wall of the cave. It was some type of writing. I walked closer to it and finally made out what it was.

It was a slightly disfigured but adorable heart and inside it was written _**E + E**_. Beneath the heart was neatly carved in _**always and forever**_.

I was confused to say the least as to why such a thing would be inscribed in the wall of a cave on the beach. I brought my hand up and slightly traced the figure with the tips of my fingers when images started flashing in my head and voices suddenly filled my ears.

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><p><em>There was a girl standing in front of the same figure in the cave, and a boy had his arms wrapped around her waist with his chin resting on her shoulder.<em>

"_Like it?" he whispered into the girl's ear._

_The girl nodded vigorously and the boy chuckled and kissed her neck._

"_This is to serve as a permanent promise, Ella, that I will always love you, always be with you and will never let anything happen to you." The boy said as he tightened his grip on the girl._

"_Really?" The girl breathed, closing her eyes._

"_Really."_

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><p>I gasped and snatched my hand away as quick as lightening, as if I had just been burnt. My heart was racing as I tried to make sense of what just happened.<p>

Before I could ponder more over the bizarre flashback, I heard gleeful shouts from outside the cave.

I jogged onto the beach to find the Pevensie children happily playing in the waters, splashing each other and giggling with ecstasy.

_Were they bonkers?_

"Excuse me!" I shouted out to them, causing them to stop and look at me, suddenly remembering that I was there too.

"Could someone please care to tell me where the bloody hell we are?" I shouted in anger and frustration.

"I mean, one minute we're in the train station and the next we're on the beach! What the heck is going on here? Is this some sort of dream?" I exclaimed as I flung my arms around like a mad woman.

The four just stared at me for a while, before throwing glances at each other, glances I couldn't quite understand. Finally, Susan stepped forward.

"I guess we should tell you the truth." She said as she squinted from the sunlight.

"I would very much appreciate that."

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><p><span>Susan's POV<span>

I waded out of the water to Nerine, who had her arms folded as she waited for an explanation.

_Oh boy, how do I do this?_

I felt Peter put his hand on my arm from behind me as he leaned in close to my ear.

"I think it's better if we just leave out the part about Ella. It would just confuse Nerine and upset Edmund." He murmured softly.

I nodded slightly in agreement and made my way to Nerine.

"We should sit down. It's a pretty long story." I mumbled.

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><p><span>Nerine's POV<span>

By the end of Susan's story, my mouth was hung open and no words could describe my fascination, confusion, bewilderment and disbelief.

"So, you guys ruled this land…Narnia…for 9 years!" I exclaimed, looking at the four of them. We were sitting in a circle on the beach, with Lucy and Susan on either side of me, Peter next to Lucy and Edmund next to Susan.

"That's right. And we returned back to earth when we stumbled into the same wardrobe by accident while chasing the White Stag. And since then, it's been a year." Lucy said.

"Wow." That's all that could come out of my mouth as I let everything sink in.

"So, why am I here?" I finally asked.

Again, the four siblings threw glances at one another and Peter spoke up for the first time.

"That's what we're wondering as well. We assume Aslan has some purpose for us being here, which is why we're back. But as for you…" he trailed off, his voiced laced with puzzlement.

"Wait a second." Edmund mumbled as he stared off into some nearby cliffs.

"What's wrong, Ed?" Susan asked.

"It's just…I don't exactly remember any ruins in Narnia." He replied, his gaze fixed on the cliffs which were outlined with crumbled stones and ruins.

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><p><span>Lucy's POV<span>

After we climbed the cliff to the top, we split up and walked around, inspecting the unknown area and looking out for anything which would give us a clue as to where exactly we were.

As I walked up to a short stone barrier which was on the edge of the cliff and overlooked the sea, a thought crossed my mind and I turned back to Susan who was walking up behind me.

"Wonder who lived here?" I curiously asked.

Susan was about to reply when she stepped on something. She picked it up and I squinted my eyes and walked closer to see what exactly it was.

"I think we did." She murmured as she held up a gold centaur chess piece.

"Hey, that's mine. From my chess set." Edmund stated as we walked up to us from behind Susan, taking the chess piece.

"Which chess set?" Peter asked as he joined us.

"Well, I didn't exactly have a solid gold chess set in Finchley, did I?" he sarcastically replied, turning the piece in his hand.

I looked beyond Susan behind her and suddenly it hit me.

"It can't be." I whispered, rushing over to an open circular court which had crumbled walls and pathways leading to it.

"Don't you see?" I exclaimed to Peter.

"What?" he replied, clueless to what exactly was around us.

"Imagine walls." I instructed to Peter as I positioned him perpendicular to the path.

"And columns there." I said to Susan as I placed her next to Peter.

"And a glass roof." I spoke as Edmund stood next to me and gazed ahead.

Looks of realization dawned on my siblings' faces.

"Cair Paraval." Peter murmured.

There was a heavy minute of silence as we just stood there and let everything sink in.

Tears pricked my eyes as I looked around at the messy ruins which were once my home. So many memories came flooding back of my times in Cair Paraval and the Great Hall, as we stood once where our thrones were, but now just crumbled rocks lay scattered around.

"Where's Nerine?" Susan asked as she looked around, pulling me out of my thoughts.

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><p><span>Nerine's POV<span>

I sat on top of a huge boulder and gazed out into the glistening sea. The rest were walking around, getting a look at the place.

I decided to just sit and wait for them to be done. After all, this was their kingdom and I had no idea how things worked here. I had no idea why I was here to even begin with. I still kept thinking this was some silly dream I would wake up from. But reality was much too powerful and strong to let my assumptions be right.

As I stared out into the vast and gorgeous landscape, my thoughts wandered back to the strange 'vision' I had in the cave.

_Who were that boy and girl?_

_Why were they in a cave?_

_More importantly, why did I get that flashback?_

_It almost seemed like a memory._

_But that was silly. _

_I didn't even know who those people were._

_The faces of the boy and girl were dark and fuzzy, and their voices were more like echoes._

_I could only deduce that the girl's name was Ella._

_Who was Ella?_

"Nerine!"

I looked behind to find Lucy rushing over to me, with Peter and Susan jogging behind her and Edmund trudging grumpily with his hands in his pockets behind them.

"Oh, we thought we lost you!" Lucy exclaimed, slightly out of breath.

"Well, I'm right here." I mumbled.

"So… have you guys figured out what exactly this place is?" I asked, trying to get my mind off the cave incident.

Before any of the three could reply, Edmund's voice could be heard from behind them.

"Catapults."

We all turned to him with looks of confusion as he kneeled on one knee on the grass and inspected a giant rounded rock.

"This didn't just happen. Cair Paraval was attacked." He explained with a frown, slowly getting up.

_Cair Paraval?_

_As in their castle?_

Peter walked over to a stone wall. He motioned for Edmund to help him and the two of them pushed the wall to the side, revealing a run-down wooden door.

Whipping out his pen-knife, Peter cut open a large chunk of the flimsy door and it swung open. He then started ripping the bottom of his shirt as we all stared at him confused and amused.

"Don't suppose, you have any matches, do you?" He asked Edmund as he wrapped the piece of cloth around a small branch.

"No…but…" Edmund murmured, searching in his sling-on bag.

"Would this help?" he finally asked, pulling out a flashlight torch with a sly grin.

We all suppressed our laughter as Peter glared at him frustrated.

"You might have mentioned that a bit sooner!" he exclaimed with a small laugh.

Edmund just chuckled and switched on the torch, taking the lead into the dark stairways. Susan, Lucy and I went after him, with Peter behind us.

The dark, dusty stairways led to a dimly-lit room which was rather dirty but held an air of nostalgia. There were random treasures and equipment lying around, and four large chests in the front of the small room.

Lucy gasped in glee and ran to one of the chests, Susan and Edmund doing the same.

In front of each chest was a marble statue, which I guessed represented each of them as Kings and Queens.

"I can't believe it. It's all still here!" Peter exclaimed, looking around at the treasures.

"I was so tall!" Lucy exclaimed, holding up a long red dress against her.

"Well, you were older then." Susan replied with a small smile.

"As opposed to hundreds of years later, when you're younger." Edmund spoke with a large helmet on his head.

I was feeling rather awkward as the four siblings reminisced about their old times. So I decided to look around the room a bit. I could hear them discussing something behind me, but I thought it was better if I just stayed out of it as I was just a mere stranger and newcomer to this land.

"I think it's time we found out what went on here." Peter suddenly spoke loudly, turning my attention back to them.

Susan lent me one of her gowns and the three of us changed in the Treasure Room, as they called it, while Edmund and Peter changed outside.

Finally, after packing some necessities and equipment, we made our way down the cliffs of Cair Paraval.

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><p><strong>AN: So...voting is over by the way. I already said I am going to make this not only Edmund/OC, but Susan/Caspian as well. But Susan/Caspian's relationship will be much more in-depth and susbstance-filled, and not just follow the movies/books. ;)**

**Don't forget to REVIEW! :)**


	3. A Painful Reminder

**A/N: YO! Here's the 3rd chapter! Many of you have tons of questions regarding Nerine. Don't worry...let this story grow and your questions will be answered in time. But thanks for all the wonderful reviews! You guys rock! :)**

**PLEASE READ THE A/N AT THE BOTTOM. IMPORTANT. **

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: A Painful Reminder<strong>

Nerine's POV

We had been walking for quite some time now. Peter was in the lead, followed by Susan and Lucy who were chatting away about how they would ride in the woods. Edmund was behind them, walking alongside me with a scowl on his face and looking ahead as if I were invisible. Finally fed up of the awkward and tense silence between the two of us, I decided to speak up.

"Thank you, by the way." I mumbled, loud enough for him to hear.

But he didn't. Or at least, he _pretended_ not to hear me. He just kept staring ahead, ignorant to my words.

Clearing my throat, I spoke louder this time.

"I said thank you, Edmund." I spoke again, looking intently at him.

No reply.

"For saving me in the train station. If not for you, I don't know what would have happened if I fell onto the train." I sincerely said.

Silence.

"Excuse me. But I'm very sure you can hear me, and it is really rude to not acknowledge when someone is thanking you." I snapped, frustrated with his behavior.

A look of pain and sorrow crossed his face but were gone immediately as he merely nodded slightly in my direction, still not meeting my eyes.

I was about to scold him for such rude manners when I heard a shout.

"Drop him!"

I looked ahead to see Susan with her bow and arrow up, aiming it at something in the river ahead. I walked a little closer to see that she was aiming it at a boat which had two men standing in armor staring at her, carrying a small bundle. I still couldn't make out what the bundle was. Peter and Edmund had drawn their swords and were standing in a bold stance, staring ahead at the two soldiers.

I heard a splash and the release of an arrow, followed by a yelp and another louder splash.

The soldiers had dropped the bundle and Peter had jumped into the water to rescue it while Susan shot one of the soldiers in the chest, throwing him overboard and the other soldier jumping after him.

As I stood with Lucy, who was holding Peter's sword, I saw Peter pull up the bundle and Edmund pull the boat ashore. As Edmund pulled the boat, he fell to his knees for a moment, the weight of the boat too heavy.

Something clicked in my heart and I rushed forward to him.

"Do you need any help?" I murmured shyly.

Edmund merely shook his head and looked away quickly, continuing to pull up the boat and secure it to the river bank.

I frowned and walked back to the rest, with Edmund behind me.

_That was weird._

_Why did I have this strange urge to help him immediately?_

I simply shook my head to clear away the weird thoughts and put my attention back to what was happening. Lucy was on her knees and used her dagger to cut away the binds on the small…creature…as he struggled to his feet and spit out some water. Once he was on his feet steady, my eyes widened.

_Was that a…dwarf?_

"Drop him?" he shouted in a gruffy voice as he glared at Susan.

"That's the best you could come up with?" he snapped.

"A simple thank you would suffice." She retorted, an angry look clear on her face.

"They were doing fine drowning me without your help." He exclaimed, pointing to the river where the boat once lay.

"Maybe we should have let them." Peter spoke in an annoyed voice.

"Why were they trying to kill you anyway?" Lucy asked, trying to dissipate the fight.

"They're Telmarines. That's what they do." He muttered.

"Telmarines? In Narnia?" Edmund asked in an astonished voice.

"Where have you been for last few hundred years." He sarcastically mumbled.

"It's bit of a long story." Lucy uneasily smiled as Susan handed Peter his sword. The dwarf eyed the sword closely, a look of realization dawning no his face.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me? You're it? You're the Kings and Queens of Old!" he exclaimed, staring at the four siblings, before his gaze landed on me.

"And you…" he stared at me in confusion and I returned the look.

The four siblings glanced at each other worriedly.

"You must be Lady-"

"She's just a friend." Susan quickly cut in.

The dwarf crinkled his eyebrows at her.

"She's a newcomer to Narnia. Nerine." She introduced.

"But you got the first part right. We are the Kings and Queens of old. High King Peter, the Magnificent." Peter quickly changed the subject, sticking his hand out for the dwarf to shake, but he merely eyes it in disinterest.

_Strange._

_It was almost as if they didn't want the dwarf to complete the sentence._

_Like they didn't want me to find out something._

"Probably could have left off the last bit." Susan muttered as she rolled her eyes at her brother's arrogance.

"Probably." The dwarf chuckled.

"You might be surprised." Peter replied, unsheathing his sword.

"Oh, you don't want to do that, boy." The dwarf smirked.

"Not me. Him." Peter said, motioning to Edmund as he held out his sword to the dwarf.

Edmund was taken aback a bit before smiling slightly and unsheathing his own sword.

The dwarf bashfully approached Peter and held his sword, dropping it immediately. Edmund grinned at Peter as the dwarf appeared weak for a moment. Suddenly, the latter swung the sword and clashed it with Edmund's, taking him completely off guard. He then used the hilt of the sword to hit Edmund in the middle of his brows. Edmund grunted in pain.

"Edmund!" Lucy and I shouted in fear.

Something in my heart made me panic when I saw Edmund get hurt.

"Aw. You alright?" the dwarf mocked before swinging again.

This time, Edmund was ready and he swung back, hitting the dwarf in his bum in the process. Blow after blow, swing after swing, Edmund blocked the dwarf and clashed his sword with Peter's continuously until it dropped to the ground and the dwarf landed on his butt.

"Beards and Bedsteads!" he gasped, staring at Edmund who still held his sword up, panting slightly.

"Maybe that horn worked after all." He muttered.

"What horn?" Susan asked.

The dwarf, who introduced himself as Trumpkin, went on to tell the story of how Prince Caspian was riding through the woods, being chased by his guards when he fell and spotted him and his Narnian friends. While Trumpkin tried to fight off the guards, the Prince blew the Horn, which it seemed, possessed magical abilities to summon the Kings and Queens of Old.

It was then decided that we find Prince Caspian first, before taking any other step. After all, he was the one to call us back.

And so, we got into the Telmarine boat and made our way down the river.

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><p><span>Edmund's POV<span>

I looked around as we sailed through the river, with Peter rowing, and took in the land I once ruled and lived in. The air was filled with a musky scent I missed so much. The forest was so quiet and serene, the only noise was of the oar splashing against the water gently and rhythmically.

"They're so still." I heard Lucy remark.

"They're trees. What do you expect?" Trumpkin muttered.

My head turned to his direction as I sorrowfully gazed at him.

_If only he knew…_

"They used to dance." Susan replied softly, her voice laced with sadness.

"Not long after you left that the Telmarines invaded. Those who survived retreated to the woods. And the trees…retreated so into themselves that they haven't been heard from since." Trumpkin answered with a hint of despair.

"We didn't mean to leave you know…" Peter suddenly spoke up, his eyes misty.

"Doesn't make a difference now, does it?" Trumpkin retorted.

"Get us to the Narnians. And it will." Peter replied firmly as he continued rowing the boat.

I turned back to watch the waters move swiftly against the side of the boat when Trumpkin's voice came up again after a moment or two.

"You." He said, staring at Nerine who was sitting in between Lucy and Susan.

"You look awfully like the Daughter of Nereus. At least, from what pictures I've seen." He mumbled, staring intently at Nerine.

I couldn't see Nerine's face as her back was to me, which I was glad for. It pained me every time to look at her and saw Ella, but know she was not her. When she had thanked me for saving her life, I could not bring myself to look at her as her voice pierced my heart, sounding so much like the sweet honey voice I fell in love with.

Every time I looked at Nerine, the image of Ella limp in my arms sprang up.

_Nerine was only like a reminder that I had lost my Ella forever._

_And it hurt to be reminded of that every time I looked at her._

"Uh…W-Who is that?" she stuttered, confusion so clear in her voice.

"We're here." Peter cut in, glancing at me before rowing onto the river bank and pulling the oars into the boat.

_Thank you, Peter!_

Trumpkin, Susan, Peter and I hauled the boat onto the shore while Nerine and Lucy walked away.

"Hello there."

Lucy's voice made us stop and turn to her immediately as we saw her making her way towards a big grizzly bear.

"It's alright. We're friends!" she exclaimed happily as she approached the bear. The bear walked towards her slowly, calculatedly.

"Don't move, Your Majesty!" Trumpkin shouted, causing Lucy to turn around and look at him, confused.

Suddenly, the bear started running towards Lucy, grunting wildly.

"Run Lucy!" Nerine yelled as she grabbed Lucy's arm and started pulling her away.

"Stay away from them!" Susan yelled, aiming her arrow at the bear.

"Shoot Susan! Shoot!" I yelled as I ran towards the scene with my sword in my hand, Peter following behind.

Nerine and Lucy had tripped on a broken branch and they both lay on their backs, screaming as the bear rose on hind legs and roared out ferociously.

Suddenly, an arrow pierced his heart and he fell to the ground. We all turned to Susan, but her arrow was still notched in her bow. Behind her, Trumpkin stood with his empty bow, staring at the wild beast.

Peter immediately ran to Lucy and helped her up, holding her tightly to him as she shook in shock and fear.

I noticed Nerine still on the ground, trembling and sweating profusely.

Without even thinking, I gripped her arm and helped her to her feet.

"Are you alright?" I asked, looking into her eyes.

_Oh no._

_Big mistake._

Her face was filled relief, and I immediately remembered the last time I had seen such a look from that face. It was when I had just rescued Ella from the Witch's dungeons.

Memories of those blue eyes came flooding back.

_I remembered how those same blue eyes bore into mine when Ella had stabbed herself…_

_When she whispered her last words to me…_

_When I held her in my arms…_

In a heartbeat, I looked away from Nerine and let go of her arm. I could see from the corner of my eyes a look of hurt, confusion and rejection wash over her face, making my heart wrench. I just wanted to take her in my arms, hold her tight to me and tell her that I was there and she was safe.

_But that was wrong._

I only felt like that because she was the spitting image of my Ella. But the truth was, she was not Ella and she would never replace Ella. She would always just be the girl who looked like Ella. Not the girl who was Ella. Not the girl my heart belonged to.

"Get treated like a dumb animal long enough, you become one."

Trumpkin's voice pulled me out of my thoughts as I saw him pierce into the dead bear with his dagger. Lucy was hiding her face in Peter's chest as he cut the bear and Susan was staring at the ground in discomfort. I heard a wince from beside me and I knew it came from Nerine, but I refused to look her way.

Looking into her blue eyes was too dangerous.

It was too painful.

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><p><strong>AN: AW! poor Ed! I feel so bad that i'm doing this to him. How much more must he suffer? Oh well, every story needs a bit of hurt right? **

**Anyway... about the important thing...**

**I got this wonderful idea for the Susan element of this story that i have a love triangle between her, Caspian and an OC. The only dilemma i have is...**

**Should i have Caspian in the middle or Susan?**

**So, i would like your vote on this.**

**A MALE OC/Susan/Caspian? **

**OR**

**A FEMALE OC/Caspian/Susan?**

**Please please PLEASE vote! (or this story can't develop! and you wouldn't want that right...)**

**And review this chap as well! I wanna know what you guys think about Edmund's heartache. **

**So what are you waiting for?**

**VOTE AND REVIEW! VOTE AND REVIEW! VOTE AND REVIEW! VOTE AND REVIEW!**


	4. Cliffs, Lions and Secrets

**A/N: Hey! Another chapter up fast just for you great readers! Thanks to all my lovely reviewers and those who voted as well. You know i love you all, right? :)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4: Cliffs, Lions and Secrets<strong>

Nerine's POV

"I don't' quite remember this way." Susan stated as she trudged behind Lucy with Peter leading us deeper into the forest.

"That's a problem with girls. Can't carry a map in your head." Peter teased.

I scoffed and rolled my eyes at Susan who shook her head slightly with a grin.

"That's because our heads have something in them." Lucy replied with a smirk.

"Nice one, Lucy!" I laughed and gave her a high-five.

"I wish he would have just listened to the DLF in the first place." Susan sighed.

"DLF?" Edmund and I asked at the same time.

We immediately glanced at each other but it only lasted a mere second before Edmund looked down and then back up at Susan.

"Dear Little Friend." Lucy smiled at Susan before glancing at Trumpkin who was trailing behind quietly.

"Oh, that's not at all patronizing is it?" he sarcastically remarked, causing us to grin at his annoyance.

"I'm not lost." We heard Peter murmur, staring at a dead end.

"No." Trumpkin finally spoke up, walking up to Peter.

"You're just going the wrong way." He said.

"You last saw Caspian in the Shuddering Woods, and the quickest way there is to cross at the River Rush." Peter arrogantly replied.

I could see why he was talking like this. From what they told me about him being a High King, he was desperately trying to gain his power and authority back.

"But unless I'm mistaken, there's no crossing in these paths." Trumpkin replied in a low voice, glaring at Peter.

"That explains it then. You're mistaken." He snarled at Trumpkin before continuing ahead.

I shook my head slightly at his arrogance and stubbornness but decided to just keep my mouth shut.

We walked on for a bit. Peter was in the front, followed by Susan and Lucy, with me behind them and Edmund and Trumpkin behind me. Suddenly, Lucy stopped, causing me to almost crash into her.

"See, over time, water erodes the Earth's soil, causing ero-"

"Oh, Shut up."

I walked around Lucy to see what the commotion was about when I realized that we were at the edge of a cliff. As I looked down to see the rapid river flowing, bizarre images and voices started entering my head again and I squeezed my eyes as tight as possible as my head throbbed and a scene played out in my mind.

* * *

><p><em>A boy and girl were running in the forest. They held onto each other's hands tightly as they sprinted through the thick undergrowth and around the numerous large trees. Behind them, a few strange creatures were shouting and chasing them with weapons in their hands and wild looks on their faces.<em>

_The boy continued pulling the girl through the woods. The girl struggled to keep up and many bruises covered her body, which was clad in a ripped red dress until her mid-thighs and torn in many places. _

_Suddenly, they stopped at a cliff similar to the one we were at and looked down to find the river rushing through the narrow valley._

_The girl clutched onto the boy's arm tightly and the boy turned to see the wild creatures still running towards them, getting closer and closer. _

"_Ed." The girl whispered as she looked up at the boy. The boy looked at her for a few seconds before turning back to the sheer drop._

"_Whatever happens, don't let go." He murmured, gripping her hand before jumping off the cliff into the rapid-flowing river, pulling the girl along with him as she screamed._

* * *

><p>"Nerine?"<p>

I gasped and jumped a little at the sudden voice of Susan.

"Are you alright?" she mumbled, looking at me worriedly.

I was out of breath and sweating profusely. I gulped in some air and closed my eyes for a brief second to calm my heart down before looking up and nodding firmly.

"Ya. Ya, I'm fine." I breathed, trying to sound re-assuring.

She continued to look at me weirdly before nodding slowly as well and turning back to the current situation.

"Is there a way down?" Edmund asked.

"Yeah. Falling." Trumpkin replied with a scowl.

"Well, we weren't lost." Peter sighed in frustration.

"There's a ford near Beruna. How do you feel about swimming?" Trumpkin ignored Peter's comment as he turned back around.

"Rather that than walking." Susan murmured, following behind him with Peter and Edmund.

"Aslan?" I heard Lucy question.

I turned around to find her staring at the cliff opposite. I followed her line of vision to find a majestic golden lion standing in between the trees, looking calm and tame. He was motioning with his head to follow him.

"Aslan! It's Aslan! He's over there!" Lucy exclaimed, pointing to him as she turned to the others.

I turned to find the others looking at Lucy weirdly, as if she had gone mad.

"Can't you see? He's right…" she trailed off as she turned back to be greeted with an empty cliff.

"There." She whispered in confusion.

"Do you see him now?" Trumpkin snorted.

"I'm not crazy. He was there. He wanted us to follow him." Lucy looked pleadingly at Peter.

"I'm sure there are any number of lions in this wood, Lu. Just like that bear." Peter spoke to her as if she was a 3-year-old child.

"I think I know Aslan when I see him." She snapped angrily.

"Lucy's right. I saw a lion too. And he didn't look like just any other lion." I spoke up.

I turned to the person closest to me, which happened to be Edmund, and I looked him in the eyes, trying to convince him that it was the truth.

"He _was_ there." I spoke in a low but firm voice.

All heads turned to Edmund, who was gazing at me with a certain glimmer in his eyes, mixed with a strange darkness and sorrow. Finally, he broke the gaze and looked to the ground with a pained expression before he realized everyone was watching him with a worried look. I frowned in confusion at how everyone watched him worriedly when he finally spoke.

"The last time I didn't believe Lucy, I ended up…looking pretty stupid." He murmured, looking at Lucy in a re-assuring way.

Lucy gave him a small smile and it almost looked as if she was comforting or encouraging him and a silent exchange happened between the two with their eyes which I couldn't quite comprehend.

Peter looked back to the empty cliff and sighed.

"Why wouldn't I have seen him?" he asked.

"Maybe you weren't looking." She replied, with wisdom far beyond her years.

"I'm sorry, Lu." He murmured before turning back and walking off with Trumpkin and Susan. Lucy frowned and looked back at the cliff, a look of sorrow and frustration clear on her face before she turned back to Edmund.

He smiled slightly at her before motioning her to go on. She smiled back and walked ahead, catching up with Susan.

I glanced at Edmund as he stared at the river below for a few seconds.

"You okay?" I softly asked, hoping he wouldn't just shun me away.

He glanced up at me for a moment before nodding meekly and walking ahead, his eyes refusing to meet mine.

I sighed and followed behind him, knowing I shouldn't have let my expectations up too high.

As I walked behind them, I kept thinking about the flashback I had. It was super bright and the faces of the boy and girl were blurred, just like the first flashback I had in the cave. However, I knew that the girl and boy were the same people from my other vision. And the girl had called the boy 'Ed'.

_Wait a minute._

_Ed?_

_As in Edmund?_

_So the boy is Edmund?_

_And the girl's name is Ella._

_Hold on…_

_When Edmund first met me, he called me Ella…_

A billion thoughts and questions raced through my mind.

_Something was not adding up._

_The way Trumpkin thought I was someone else and the others tried to hide it from me…_

_The way Edmund always looked at me…_

There was some secret the others knew which I didn't know.

And I was going to find out what it was.

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><p><strong>AN: Dun Dun Dunnnnnn. Nerine is onto something! Hmmm...i wonder what will happen...**

**Oh and voting is still on.**

**a Male OC for Susan?**

**Or a Female OC for Caspian?**

**You HAVE to VOTE people! **

**PLEASE!**

**I'm begging right now.**

**And also review!**

**This chap was kinda hard to write so i wanna know your opinions about it.**

**What do YOU think should happen next?**

**VOTE AND REVIEW! VOTE AND REVIEW! VOTE AND REVIEW! VOTE AND REVIEW! VOTE AND REVIEW!**


	5. Questions and more questions

**A/N: Hello my lovely readers. Thank you so much for your awesome reviews. They made me smile so much. :)**

**Please continue reviewing! **

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><p><strong>Chapter 5: Questions and more questions<strong>

We had reached the ford, but there were strange noises coming from the river. Voices and sounds of wood-chopping drifted through the woods. Stealthily, we crept up to the opening and hid behind some fallen tree trunks as we witnessed with horror what was taking place before us.

About a hundred soldiers were scattered around the river, cutting down trees and setting up forts. There were huge machineries which looked like catapults and they were building a bridge over the river. A few soldiers on horses trotted past us and we immediately ducked lower behind the trunks so as to not be in their vision.

"Perhaps this wasn't the best way to come after all." I heard Susan whisper to Peter as I crouched next to her.

With one final look at the soldiers and workers cutting down trees and building up their weaponry, we crept back into the forest, following the same path we had used to arrive there, right until we reached the cliff we previously had stopped at.

I stared down at the flowing river as the images from the flashback I had kept popping up in my head. I wracked my brain trying to put the pieces together, but everything still seemed so confusing and messed up.

"So, where do you think you saw Aslan again?" Peter asked Lucy with a cynical look on his face.

"I wish you all stopped acting like grown-ups. I didn't think I saw him. I did see him." Lucy mumbled in an irritated tone.

"I did too." I spoke up, standing next to Lucy.

She smiled at me gratefully before walking further away along the edge, looking around.

"He was right over…" she trailed off, staring at the opposite cliff before she let out a scream as the ground crumbled beneath her and gave way.

"LUCY!" We all yelled as we rushed forward, only to see her sitting on a ledge beneath the plot of ground she was just standing on.

"Here." She finished off, looking in astonishment at a path inside the cliff and back up at us.

It was a rather narrow path but it was gentle and led us down to the river where there was a trail of large stepping stones across it, allowing us to cross it since it was rather shallow and narrow.

As we stepped on the large rocks, I tripped on my dress and braced myself as I fell forward, but I felt a strong pair of arms go around my waist and I looked up to find myself staring at chocolate-brown orbs.

Edmund held me tightly as he stared at me, a shocked and distant look on his face. I could feel the heat rise to my face and I cleared my throat, looking away with a mumbled thank-you. He immediately let go off me and nodded curtly, walking ahead with his head down.

His actions were making me more confused by the second. On one hand, he always acted so cold and distant to me, as if he loathed me. On the other hand, he would do things that showed that he actually cared for me.

_What a mystery he was…_

I thought back to the flashback and realized that maybe I was jumping to conclusions in thinking that the boy was Edmund. 'Ed' didn't necessarily have to refer to Edmund. Maybe it was just a coincidence. But then I recalled how Edmund looked at me the first time we met, and how he called me Ella; the same name the boy had called the girl in the cave. Maybe that was just a coincidence too.

_Who was I kidding?_

_None of this was a coincidence._

These elements were all linked and though I wanted to find out what exactly was going on really badly, I remembered that we were in a bigger predicament and that I should not have been wasting time on these matters.

_Maybe I'm just going crazy._

_Yes, that's it._

_I'm just mentally unstable._

I decided to go with that hypothesis until I found out anything else; because that was the only logical thing I could think of.

_But that would mean it's not logical since I'm mental._

_Wait…what?_

I was getting a headache from all the mind-boggling thoughts, so I just decided to give my brain a rest and not think about it anymore.

It was getting dark, so we decided to set up camp and rest for the night. We all slept around a small fire in a circle.

Lucy was next to Susan, I was next to Lucy, Trumpkin was next to me, Peter was next to Trumpkin and Edmund was in between Susan and Peter.

I was staring at the grass as I rested my head on my arm and sighed. Today was officially the craziest day ever. Not only was I in a magical land, but I was getting these weird visions or flashbacks which made no sense whatever.

I closed my eyes and longed for sleep to overtake me.

Suddenly, I heard whispers from behind me and I recognized Susan's voice.

"Lucy, you awake?"

"Hmm."

"Why do you think I didn't see Aslan?"

_Pause._

"You believe me?"

"Well, we got across the gorge."

"I don't know. Maybe you didn't really want to."

"You always knew we would be coming back, didn't you?"

"I hoped so."

_A sigh._

"I just finally got used to the idea of being back in England."

"But you're happy to be here, aren't you?"

"While it lasts."

_Pause._

"I'm just worried about Edmund."

"Yeah. He seems so miserable. I feel really bad for him."

"I thought the whole one year after…_that_…was horrible enough for him. But this…this is worse."

"Susan, do you think…"

_Pause._

"What, Lu?"

"It's probably a crazy idea. But…do you think…maybe…she's really…"

"Lucy, we've talked about this before."

"I know. But this is different. I mean, look! She came along too. That should mean something. It can't be that much of a coincidence. Maybe it's all Aslan's doing."

_A sigh._

"I don't know, Lucy. I really don't. For Edmund's sake, I hope what you're thinking is true. But, in all honest fact, I highly doubt it."

"I guess. Right now, all we really can do is hope to Aslan everything will be okay."

"True. Well, goodnight Lucy."

"Goodnight, Susan."

_Silence._

My mind went into overdrive as I thought about the conversation they just had. I was pretty sure they were talking about me.

_One year after what?_

_What happened, that Edmund was so miserable?_

_What couldn't be a coincidence?_

_What is all Aslan's doing?_

So many questions sprung up, and I groaned as that just meant more mystery added to the already long question list.

I rolled over to stomach with a huge sigh and simply closed my eyes; hoping sleep would help me escape all the confusion and questions.

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><p><strong>AN: Rather short but I am updating the next chapter immediately after this. Just a little treat for you fantastic readers!**

**And do continue voting!**

**Male OC or Female OC?**

**Vote and Review people! :)**


	6. Dreams and a Prince

**A/N: Just like i promised. Two chaps in one day! Whoots i rock! (lol jkjk)**

**This one's a little longer and i thought it would be interesting to write in Caspian's POV. Just a little experiment. Do let me know what you feel about this new element and if i should continue it. :)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6: Dreams and the Prince<strong>

A low rumble awoke me from my deep sleep. I looked around to find the others still peacefully asleep. I heard the rumble again, this time louder. With one final look at the sleeping Pevensies and Trumpkin, I quietly got up and followed the source of the rumble, not really knowing why.

The woods were calm and peaceful, with the air filled with a musky scent. The sun shone through the thick canopy above and gave the forest a golden aura. As I walked through the forest, a soft breeze blew, causing the leaves to rustle. I couldn't help but feel enchanted as it seemed like every living thing around me was in deep sleep, or under a magical spell. I heard a soft whisper through the wind.

_"Nerine."_

It was barely audible and I had to strain my ears to hear it. I continued walking deeper into the trees, following the whisper and it kept repeating louder and louder.

As the breeze blew, I noticed pink petals started drifting around me with grace and poise and a gentleness which could have put me to sleep. They glided through the air before my eyes before forming the figure of a lady next to me as she fluttered away waving at me, her laughs echoing through the woods.

_"Nerine."_

I turned my head to the whisper and found the trees slowly move and part to form a path for me to walk.

_"Nerine."_

The voice was as smooth as honey and as low as a thunder rumble.

I walked down the path swiftly, eager to be met by the owner of the majestic voice.

At the end of it, the path opened to a clearing where a great golden lion stood, gazing at me deeply and boldly.

"Aslan." I whispered.

I didn't even know how I was so sure it was him, but my heart told me that he was in fact the great Aslan. There was a part of me that felt like I had met him somewhere before.

"Do not fear me, child. Come." He spoke in a low, deep voice with a certain serene edge to it.

Slowly but confidently, I walked up to the lion, his stance surprisingly not intimidating at all.

"Nerine. I sense doubt and confusion in you. Your heart is filled with unanswered questions." He spoke wisely.

"Yes Aslan. I've been...seeing all these strange things and…nothing makes sense anymore." I whispered as I placed my hand on his furry nose.

His presence made me feel so uncomfortable and at ease, as if I had known him for centuries.

"Nerine. Your doubts are justifiable. Your questions are understandable. But one thing you must learn, is that only you can answer them." He murmured.

As I stared into his golden eyes, I became even more puzzled and I furrowed my eyebrows.

"B-But Aslan. How can I answer them when they are my questions? When I myself don't know? I mean, if I knew the answers, then why would I even have the questions?" I hesitantly asked, getting confused with my own words.

Aslan let out a small chuckle as he gazed at me lovingly.

"I have missed you, dear one."

"You mean, we have met before?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes. That is the only question I can answer. The most important thing, Nerine, is that you look into your heart. Only you can know who you truly are. Trust me. When your heart is ready, everything will be answered." He said.

I smiled as I stroked his nose.

"That doesn't really help, Aslan." I murmured.

He let out another small chuckle and slowly shook his head.

"Let's just say…People's fates are simplified by their names." He spoke calmly.

I took some time to register his words, but finally gave up and just sighed.

"Aslan…I…"

_Snap!_

* * *

><p>I gasped as I shot up from the forest floor. I looked around and realized that we were still at camp. The fire had died and everyone was still asleep, except for one.<p>

_Where was Lucy?_

I quietly got up and found Lucy walking away from camp.

I shook Peter awake.

"Peter! Wake Up!" I whispered loudly.

"Mmmm. What?" he mumbled, turning over and rubbing his eyes.

"It's Lucy. She's wandering off somewhere." I quickly spoke in a hushed tone, careful not to wake up the others.

"What!" he exclaimed, jumping up.

"Shhh! She hasn't gone that far. Come on." I mumbled, pulling his arm.

We trailed behind Lucy until we saw her again.

"Stay here." He instructed, walking towards Lucy. I stood behind one of the trees and watched.

I heard Lucy mumble something before being cut off by Peter who clamped his hand over her mouth and pulled her behind a large boulder, putting a finger to his lips as he motioned for her to keep quiet. They both peeked from the boulder and I looked up too, only to see a giant furry creature with horns and the face of a bull march around with a giant axe in his hands. I gasped as I studied the creature. From what mythology books I had read, this looked like a Minotaur.

I watched Peter quietly unsheathe his sword and creep up behind the creature. Suddenly, a shout could be heard and Peter's sword clashed with another as a young man, about his age, jumped up and started sparring with Peter. I gasped and ran back to the camp to alert the others.

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><p><span>Caspian's POV<span>

_Swing. Swing. Duck. Kick. Dodge. Defend. Swing._

I continued slashing out at the mysterious man. He didn't look like a Telmarine soldier, with his sandy brown hair, blue eyes and golden skin. I finally kicked him to the floor and tried to pry his sword which had got stuck in the bark of the tree as I saw, from the corner of my eye, him grab a rock.

"NO! STOP!"

I turned to the direction of the cry to see a young girl scramble up from behind a boulder. She had long red-brown hair and similar facial features to the man I had just attacked. She too was not Telmarine.

Her cry had alerted the others who came out from their hiding positions to see what the commotion was.

"Prince…Caspian?" the man asked, looking at me in confusion and shock.

"Yes. And who are you?" I retorted, still slightly breathless from the fight as I continued to point the sword at him, not sure if he could be trusted.

"PETER!"

Another female voice called out, deeper than the first one. I saw two ladies, a young man and a dwarf run up to the boulder, staring at us.

_Wait…_

_Peter?_

I glanced down at his sword. In it was inscribed the will of Aslan. I recognized it from the books Professor used to read to me. This was the sword Rhindon.

"High King Peter?" I gasped.

"I believe you called." He sarcastically said, a glint of anger still evident in his eyes.

"Well, yes but…I thought you would be older." I remarked, staring at him.

_Professor said they ruled for 9 years. That would mean they would have been in their 20's. These people still looked like teenagers, almost my age._

"Well, if you like, we could come back in a few years…" he trailed off, slowly turning around.

"No, no! That's alright. It's just…you are not what I expected." I glanced at the four siblings, my gaze lingering one of the ladies whom I couldn't bring myself to take my eyes off. She shyly looked down under my gaze with a small blush on her cheeks and I snapped out of my trance immediately.

"Neither are you." The young man with dark hair and eyes spoke, eyeing the Minotaur.

"A common enemy unites even the oldest of foes." Trufflehunter remarked wisely.

"We have anxiously awaited your return, my liege. Our hearts and swords are at your service." Reepicheep spoke up, bowing slightly to 'King Peter'.

"Oh my gosh. He is so cute." I heard the youngest girl comment. I was guessing she was Queen Lucy, and the woman beside her was Queen Susan.

"Who said that?" Reepicheep yelled, pulling out his sword.

"Oh. Sorry." Queen Lucy replied sheepishly.

"Your Majesty, with the greatest respect, I do believe courageous, courteous or chivalrous, might more befit a knight of Narnia." Reepicheep nobly spoke, bowing.

"Well, at least we know some of you can handle a blade." Peter smiled down at the mouse.

I couldn't help but feel like his sentence had a double meaning to it, towards me. Still, I said nothing as he was the High King of Narnia for 9 years.

"Yes, indeed. And I have recently put it to good use, securing weapons for your army, sire."

"Good. Because we're going to need every sword we can get." Peter replied, turning to me with a scowl.

"Well then, you will probably be wanting yours back." I replied in a straight voice, holding out his sword.

He grabbed it and walked away, not before I could catch him rolling his eyes.

_Hmph._

_High King Peter didn't seem that Magnificent._

As we walked on, I fell in step with Queen Susan.

"You are Queen Susan, am I right?" I asked gently.

She turned to me and smiled.

"That's right, Prince Caspian." She replied, her voice smooth and silky.

"Please. Call me Caspian, Queen Susan." I smiled back.

"Only if you call me Susan. I never really did like people addressing me like that." She remarked, looking forward again.

I noticed walking ahead another girl I couldn't quite recognize as any of the four siblings, but as someone else I had read about in the books. Behind her, King Edmund trudged heavily, continuously stealing glances at her, and I knew why. But I was confused.

"I thought Lady Ellannie had died?" I spoke softly to Susan, so that only she could hear me.

She looked up at the girl in front and frowned, sorrow filling her eyes. I mentally berated myself for asking such a question. I had learnt that Lady Ellannie was very close to the Queens. She was like their sisters, even to King Peter. And I learnt she was the keeper of King Edmund's heart. Obviously, they would be upset over such memories.

"Forgive me. I shouldn't have asked such a question." I said.

"No, no. It's alright." She quickly spoke.

"It's just…she's not Lady Ellannie. Her name is Nerine and she has never been to Narnia before. She comes from our world. In fact, she's our neighbor." Susan said monotonously.

"But…she looks just like…"

"Ella. Yes, it was quite a shock to us too. But that's about it. She only looks like Ella, but all in all, she's not. She's only Nerine." Susan said with a hint of disappointment and despair.

"Oh." I said, still rather perplexed but not wanting to prod on.

I noticed how Edmund looked at Nerine and couldn't help but speak again.

"So, how is King Edmund handling this?" I murmured.

She sighed and glanced at her younger brother.

"He's improved, but I don't think he has fully recovered yet. When Ella…died…it was hard for all of us, but he took it the worst. For a whole year we were miserable, but he was completely broken. He loved her a lot, and still does. The day after Ella's one-year death anniversary, we went chasing for the White Stag in an attempt to cheer him up. Little did we know we would return to England. It was a huge blow for all of us, Edmund the most. For three months we learnt to slowly recover, but suddenly one day, Nerine walked into our lives. And she really is a sweet girl and good friend, but it was hard for us to accept her, because she kept reminding us of Ella. We ultimately learnt to look past that, but Edmund didn't. He keeps his distance from her to save himself the pain, but it's not much help." She explained, gazing sorrowfully at the Just King.

I felt so sorry for King Edmund. It must have been really hard to be this close to the girl who resembled the one he loved yet was a mere stranger to him. I could see the depression deep in his eyes.

"It is horrible, what your brother has to li-"

"Caspian!" I heard King Peter call out to me from the front.

"Pardon me, Susan. But it seems your brother is in need of me." I politely said to the Gentle Queen before walking ahead to catch up with Peter. to discuss battle logistics.

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><p><strong>AN: Here's a little...what shall we call it..._game_ for you guys.**

**In this chapter, i have put in a SUPER important clue about Nerine. Well, more like DETAIL. It's something Aslan mentions, you know him and his wise riddles. So your challenge is to find out what that clue is. One of my reviewers has actually brought this up...kinda. **

**Let's see how many of you can figure it out. **

_**HINT: Parting words always leave impressions...**_

**Oh, you may need to do some research on this, otherwise you won't be able to find out.**

**Just thought I'd have some interactive fun with you readers. ;)**

**So...be a good little reader that i know you are and...**

**REVIEW! :):)**


	7. Paintings and Sightings

**A/N: OLLO! thanks so much for those who participated in my little game. All your guesses are very smart and actually somewhat correct. But only time will tell what the completly correct answer is. ;)**

**Until then...read on and review! :)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 7: Paintings and Sightings<strong>

Nerine's POV

After trudging through the forest for about an hour, we finally reached a huge battlefield with a hill at the end of it. We crossed the open sunny field and made our way to the hill, where a small square concrete court laid before it, with decrypt columns and boulders making up the perimeter of it. Behind the court, was the foot of the hill. There was a dim entrance which led into the hill, and a ledge on top of the entrance, with another small opening there as well. The hill was layered with multiple ledges and levels, though it appeared flat from far.

As we walked across the court and reached the end of it, I noticed a line of creatures I recognized as centaurs on either side of the path leading to the entrance. They saw us and methodically unsheathed their swords and raised it in greeting and salute. The six of us stood in a line, watching the centaurs bow their heads in respect before the four siblings walked forward in unison, representing the embodiment of Narnian Royalty. Caspian lowered his head for a minute, allowing them to walk on a little further before following them. I walked behind him and smiled slightly at a young centaur who looked rather nervous but honored, raising up a small sword.

The insides of the How were as busy as ever. Creatures were scattered around, making weapons and training warriors. It was rather dim, with a few torches around the wall of the How lighting up the almost cave-like interiors.

"It may not be what you are used to. But it is defensible." Caspian murmured as Peter looked around the place, approving of the battle preparations.

"Peter!" Susan called out from the top of a small stairway bend.

"You may want to see this." She mumbled, almost worriedly.

Peter and Caspian hurried toward her, with me trailing behind them.

There was a narrow corridor where the four siblings, Caspian and I stood. On the sides of the walls were drawings and painting, etched in like cavemen pictures.

There was one with two girls riding on a lion's back.

Another was of two men and two women standing at thrones in grand clothes and crowns.

Many paintings were sprawled along the walls, but one caught my eye in particular.

It was of a boy and girl, his arm was on her waist and her arm was around his shoulder. There were diagonal dash lines around them. It seemed like they were dancing…in rain. Mesmerized by the drawing, I grazed my fingers along it when images suddenly flashed violently in my head.

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><p><em>The same girl and boy, on a balcony in the middle of the night, spinning around in the rain.<em>

_The boy and girl dancing intimately in the rain on the same balcony._

_The girl leaning against a door, the boy's lips on hers._

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><p>They flashed repeatedly before my eyes, as quick as lightening speed, bright white and the faces still blurred.<p>

Just like in the cave the day before, I snatched my hand away immediately, breathing heavily as I stared in confusion and shock at the painting.

"Nerine?"

I whipped around with a gasp as Lucy's voice hit my ears. They looked at me confused before glancing at the painting behind me.

Lucy's eyes widened.

Susan gasped quietly.

Peter went rigid and tense.

And Edmund…

His face went pale and he shakily walked towards the painting, his eyes fixed on it and his teeth clenched. He touched the picture of the girl in the painting gently with two fingers, tears brimming his eyes. There was a moment of heavy silence as we stared at Edmund and the painting.

"What is this place?" Lucy murmured, tears in her eyes too.

It was then that I noticed that all the siblings were teary-eyed from seeing the painting, Edmund the most. But none of the tears were shed.

"You don't know?" Caspian asked, rather surprised.

He grabbed a Fire Torch and walked ahead, glancing sympathetically at Edmund for a quick second. Peter and Susan looked at each other sadly before Peter grabbed a Torch too and they both followed Caspian.

Lucy placed a hand on Edmund's shoulder as he continued gazing sorrowfully at the painting, his eyes glued to the drawing of the girl only.

"Come on." She whispered, rubbing his shoulder comfortingly a bit.

Edmund snapped out of his trance and nodded shakily, grabbing a torch as well and accompanying Lucy behind the others.

With one final glance at the painting, I sighed and ran forward, joining the rest as well.

The dark corridor led into a room submerged in pitch-blackness. Caspian carefully took his Torch and touched something with it. A large flame erupted and fire trailed along a line of oil along the walls of the room, slowly filling it with light and making visible some wall statues of gryphons and warriors. As the fire encircled the room, it passed by the front of the room, lighting up one particular statue protruding from the wall.

It was of a Great Lion standing proud and tall at the top of a hill, with rays of the sun shining around his head. In the middle of the room was a large Stone Table, cracked in two along the middle. Lucy slowly walked up to the table and laid her hand gently upon it, as if it were as fragile as glass.

"He must have known what he's doing." She whispered to Susan, her voiced filled with despair.

The four siblings gazed sadly at the table and the statute of the lion before Peter finally spoke up.

"I think it's up to us now."

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><p>I was sitting on the ledge of the How, my legs swinging off the edge, gazing out at the open field before me. A gentle wind blew, caressing my cheeks slightly as I breathed in the fresh, crisp air. I stared ahead at nothing in particular as I recalled the images which flashed in my head when I had touched the painting. I was as confused as ever.<p>

_Why did I keep getting these weird flashbacks of the same boy and girl?_

_What are they to me?_

_Why am I seeing all of this?_

I then recalled the dream I had of Aslan. It didn't feel like a dream at all. His soft fur felt so real under my touch. I remembered his words.

"_Only you can answer them."_

"_I have missed you, dear one."_

"_Only you can know who you truly are."_

"_When your heart is ready, everything will be answered."_

"_People's fates are simplified by their names."_

All of them were perplexing, especially the last one. But they all caused the same question to rise in my mind.

_Who am I?_

"Oh. Pardon Me."

I turned to find a young man with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes looking down at me from the entrance small entrance leading into the top level of the How. **(link to his pic on my profile. check it out!)**

"I didn't realize you were out here and…" he trailed off, staring at me intently.

"Lady Ellannie?"

I blinked in surprise and puzzlement.

"N-No. My name is Nerine. I'm a friend of the Pevensies. And…this is my first time here." I mumbled, a slight blush forming on my cheeks from the way he was staring at me.

"Oh. Forgive me for mistaking your identity then, Lady Nerine." He bowed slightly.

"Trust me. You're not the first." I murmured under my breath.

"Pardon?"

"N-Nothing. Um…what's your name?" I politely asked.

"Forgive me for not introducing myself. I am Lorenzo." He bowed again, this time a little lower.

"Pleased to meet you, Lorenzo. Are you a Telmarine?" I couldn't resist asking, noting he had none of the Telmarine features.

"Ah, no. I am actually from Galma. My father is the actually the Lord of Galma, though he has pledged himself to the Telmarine Rule." He said, sitting beside me.

"Oh. So, then what are you-"

"Doing here?" he smirked.

"Well, Caspian and I have known each other since we were toddlers. We're best friends, almost like brothers. So I visited him many times in his castle. The night Caspian's aunt gave birth to a son; I was staying over in the castle. My room was right next to his and I heard a commotion. I could see all the guards sneaking in with bows and arrows. It was then that I realized that Miraz wanted Caspian dead. I noticed him sneaking out with his Professor. I asked to join Caspian in his escape in order to help him. The Professor sneaked an extra horse and Caspian and I escaped. We lost each other along the way, him going one way and me the other. I spent hours trekking through the woods in search of Caspian, when I found him in a rally with the Narnians. We reunited and I promised myself to the Narnians and against the Telmarines. And that's how I ended up here. I am in charge of overlooking all the weapon making." He explained.

I nodded in understanding and looked out at the field again. A couple of seconds passed in comfortable silence before I spoke.

"Why did you call me Lady Ellannie? Who is she?"

Lorenzo turned and looked at me for a while before responding.

"I do not know much about the history of Narnia, but I from what I have read, Lady Ellannie was the Chosen Savior of Narnia. She saved Narnia from the Lord of Darkness and brother of Jadis, Jadin. She died, however. Forgive me for that is all I know. I was never a big fan of Narnian History." He murmured sheepishly.

"It's alright. But…why did you think I was her?"

"You just…resemble her a lot from pictures I have seen. Oh, and I also know she was very close to the Pevensies." He said.

I frowned.

_If she was close to them, why didn't they ever mention her?_

"Oh. Alright." I mumbled.

"Oh no."

I turned to see Lorenzo stare at some trees in the distance. I followed his line of vision before I spotted a Telmarine soldier on his horse, riding away.

We looked at each other worriedly for a second before running back into the How.

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><p><strong>AN: PICTURE OF LORENZO ON MY PROFILE! CHECK IT OUT. ;)**

**OH and if you're thinking that there will be Nerine/Lorenzo moments, then...that's just sad for Ed right?**

**Muahaha. lol i'm feeling evil now. **

**Anyway...let me know about your thoughts on this chapter! :)**


	8. Decisions Decisions

**A/N: Hey guys. So...I was rather upset that my previous chapter only got 2 reviews.**

**Come on...**

**Please review guys because your reviews are the reason I write on.**

**I'm posting two chapter today because I had already typed them up but if you guys continue to not review, I will be discouraged from writing more.**

**And you wouldn't want that, right?**

**So...**

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><p><strong>Chapter 8: Decisions Decisions<strong>

"It's only a matter of time." Peter announced, looking around at all the Narnians gathered in the room of the Stone Table.

"Miraz's men and war machines are on their way. That means those same men aren't protecting their castle." He smirked.

"What do we propose we do, Your Majesty?" Reepicheep spoke up from his position next to a squirrel.

"We need to get ready for it…"

"We need to start planning for…"

Caspian and Peter both spoke at the same time. They immediately glanced at each other and Caspian finally gave a small nod to let Peter continue since Peter kept glaring at him.

"Our only hope is to strike them before they strike us." He firmly said.

"But that's crazy. No one's ever taken that castle." Caspian interjected.

"There's always a first time." Peter shrugged nonchalantly.

"We'll have the element of surprise." Trumpkin spoke up.

"But we have the advantage here." Caspian retorted.

"If we dig in, we could probably hold them off indefinitely."Susan quickly spoke, standing next to Caspian.

Peter glared at Susan, upset that she was taking Caspian's side rather than her own brother's.

"I, for one, feel safer underground." Trufflehunter murmured.

"Look, I appreciate what you've done here. But this isn't a fortress. It's a tomb." Peter spoke with a hint of frustration.

"If we attack, we'll be greatly outnumbered. There are more guards on duty in that castle itself than the total number of Narnian soldiers. We should just stay here." Lorenzo calmly explained.

"But if the Telmarines are smart, they'll just wait and starve us out." Edmund jumped in.

"We've seen the war machines they are capable of building. It's obvious their weaponry is much more advanced than ours." I finally spoke up, voicing the thoughts in my mind.

"Nobody asked your opinion." Edmund snapped.

I glared at him with my mouth hung open.

"Excuse me, but I'm a part of this as much as you all are." I seethed.

"What do you know about battle strategies and planning? This is your first time doing all this. We've had years of experience. So I suggest you just stay out of this." He haughtily replied.

"I was just trying to help." I scolded.

"We don't need your help. We can do fine without you!" he shouted.

"Enough!" Lorenzo shouted.

We both turned to him who was glaring daggers at Edmund.

"That is no way to speak to a lady. You are the Just King, you should know better. Nerine was just sharing her point of view. She deserves that much at least." He coolly spoke to Edmund.

Edmund scowled at both of us before turning away and glaring at the floor.

There was a blanket of thick silence over us until Peter spoke up again.

"If I get the troops in, can you handle the guards?" Peter asked Glenstorm.

The centaur looked hesitant for a moment before replying in a low voice.

"Or die trying, my liege."

"That's what I'm worried about."

All heads turned to Lucy who was sitting on top of the Stone Table, quiet all the while.

"Sorry?" Peter asked, furrowing his eyebrows at her.

"You're all acting like there are only two options. Dying here or dying there." She replied.

"Not sure you've really been listening Lu…"

"No, you're not listening. Or have you forgotten who really defeated the White Witch, Peter?" Lucy looked intently into her brother's eyes.

Peter glared at Lucy for a while before replying in a monotonous voice.

"I think we've waited for Aslan long enough."

With that, he stormed out of the room.

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><p>"Peter, please!"<p>

"No."

"Please Peter, I'm begging here."

"No."

"PETER!"

The Magnificent King finally stopped walking away from me and turned around as I stood there, glaring at him.

"Why can't I go?"

Peter took in a deep breath as he looked at me intently, his face slightly red with anger.

"_Because..._you don't know how to fight. It's as simple as that. You will stay here with Lucy, and that's final." He snapped.

I groaned as he walked away again and I ran up to him, grabbing his arm and spinning him around.

"I want to help, Peter."

"Nerine, it's too dangerous…"

"No! It's just…" I sighed as I ran a hand down my face and thought of how I could explain it to him without sounding like a complete maniac.

"Look. I don't know why, but I have this strange gut feeling that I should be fighting with you guys. I can't explain it. It's just…my heart keeps telling me to go and help save Narnia."

"Nerine…"

"I know you think I don't know how to spar, but…I just…want to help, Peter. Even if it's in the smallest way possible. Peter, please." I whispered, looking at him with pleading eyes.

"Nerine, I can't risk…"

"You won't." I immediately interjected.

"Send me with Edmund. He's not going to fight. He's only in charge of signaling." I argued, folding my arms over my chest.

_I was not a big fan of Edmund, true, but it was the safest way I could help out._

Peter breathed in deeply, a glint of sorrow in his eyes as he exhaled slowly.

"No. I can't do that." He murmured.

"Why not?" I snapped.

"Because…well…" he trailed off. I could see the hesitation and worry in his eyes.

"Peter, it's the only way I can help out. I can't just sit back and do nothing. And there's no problem regarding my safety as Ed and I will be in the towers, away from the fight. And if anything goes wrong, we can always escape with the Gryphon. Please." I whispered.

"Ed is going to kill me…" he mumbled under his breath.

"Well?"

Peter stared at me for a couple of more minutes before sighing.

"I guess Ed could use a helping hand."

"Yes! Thank you, Peter. Thank you!" I squealed, hugging Peter tightly.

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><p>"WHAT?"<p>

I winced at the rage and harshness in Edmund's tone.

"Look. Nerine really wants to help and I feel you shouldn't be alone when you fly in and give us the signal." Peter calmly explained.

"Then send me in with someone else! Why should I go with her?" Edmund desperately shouted.

I breathed in and out deeply, trying to calm myself down.

_Why did my heart ache from how Edmund felt about me?_

"Ed. Every other warrior will be needed for the fight. Every sword is crucial. Only Nerine can accompany you. Caspian, Susan and I will need to get the gate open. Please, Ed. I know it's a lot to ask, but please." Peter murmured, looking apologetically at Edmund.

Edmund stared at me for a few seconds, his face a range of emotions I couldn't quite detect, until finally muttering under his breath.

"Fine."

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><p><strong>AN: I only got one thing to say...**

**REVIEW!**


	9. Downhill

**A/N: Like i said...two chaps in a row! :)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 9: Downhill<strong>

The night was calm and pitch-black as we glided through the air.

I was straddling the Gryphon's back and it was holding Edmund with its claws. I was rather scared at first at the thought of riding the strange creature, but once I got on, all my nerves disappeared and I actually enjoyed the ride as the cool wind blew through my hair.

The Gryphon landed on the tower and we hid behind the pointed cone of it as a guard paced up and down. The Gryphon grabbed the guard by the shoulders, lifting him off the ground as Edmund and I dropped down.

Edmund stood at the stone barrier of the tower, looking out for anything in the sky. Finally, we spotted three other Gryphons, soaring through the air quietly as they flew over the castle grounds. Edmund switched on his torch and guided the Gryphons, who held Caspian, Susan and Peter, to a safe landing spot.

I stood behind Edmund as we watched Peter slash down one of the guards as they landed.

_Now…we wait._

Quite some time passed as we waited on the tower for Peter to shout the order to signal the troops. There was an awkward silence as Edmund leaned against the stone barrier and I leaned against the door leading into the tower. Edmund was glaring at the ground, and his gaze refused to meet mine. Finally, I broke the silence.

"Why do you hate me?"

Edmund's head snapped up at the sound of my voice and he looked confused at me for a while before letting out a breath.

"I don't…hate you." He murmured.

"Well, you certainly don't like me." I mumbled, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Have I done something wrong?" I whispered, trying to meet his eyes.

Edmund looked down for a minute, as if in pain, before looking up with an emotionless face.

"It's just complicated, alright." He monotonously spoke.

I nodded, still unsatisfied but not wanting to start any arguments.

A couple of more seconds passed before he spoke up.

"I'm sorry."

I looked at him intently as he breathed deeply and still kept his eyes fixed on the ground.

"You have done nothing wrong. It's me who's the problem. But…you didn't deserve to be on the receiving end of my bad attitude. So for that, I apologize." He murmured, finally looking up into my eyes.

I was about to reply when a blood-curdling scream startled us and caused Edmund to drop his torch below.

"Oh no." we murmured in unison.

We hurried down the stairway of the tower to the lower balcony and hid in the shadows as we noticed a guard pick up the torch and accidentally switch it on, flashing it around in confusion. Just then, loud bells resonated through the castle as shouts from the soldiers could be heard.

"Stay here." Edmund whispered to me before jumping down on the guard.

He pushed the guard to the ground and scrambled up, immediately unsheathing his sword as the guard did. I stood still in the shadows as I watched the guard swing at Edmund and Edmund block his blow. The torch had rolled towards me and I tried to reach out to it without being spotted.

Edmund and the Telmarine continued sparring and at one point, the guard's back was to me as he trapped Edmund against the stone barrier of the balcony, their swords pushing against each other. I took the opportunity to grab onto the torch as quickly as possible.

"Now, Ed! Signal the troops!" I could hear Peter yell from somewhere below.

"I'm a bit busy, Pete!" Edmund shouted over his shoulder as he struggled against the guard.

Edmund rammed his head into the soldier's, causing the latter to stumble backwards as Edmund swung at him. I gripped onto the torch tightly as I watched the two battle on. Suddenly, the soldier slashed Edmund's sword out of his hand, flinging it far away. Thinking on the spot, I rolled the torch towards Edmund's feet. As the guard aimed a slash at Edmund's head, Edmund ducked and grabbed onto the torch underneath him, punching the soldier twice with it. As the soldier fell to the ground unconscious, I stood rooted to the ground in shock at what just happened before my eyes.

_That was no friendly spar._

"Oh no…"

Edmund's groan snapped me out of my trance as I saw him fumble with his torch.

"What's wrong?" I exclaimed, approaching him as he kept hitting his torch.

"Come on." He mumbled in frustration as the torch refused to work.

I grabbed the torch and hit it once firmly against my palm as it lit up.

Edmund grabbed it from me and began flicking the switch, signaling the troops to attack.

From where we stood, we could see the Narnian soldiers yell and run through the gates as Peter, Susan and Caspian joined them from the wheel-drawer at the gate.

"FOR NARNIA!"

As Peter let out the battle cry, the soldiers rushed into the court and the war immediately began.

I gripped on tightly to the stone barrier of the balcony on the roof as I watched multiple Narnian soldiers be slaughtered mercilessly. Suddenly, I saw Edmund slide down the roof and kick over an archer who had his arrow pointed to Peter. Without a second thought, I slid down the roof as well, landing right next to Edmund.

Peter noticed the soldier fall over the balcony and looked up to see the two of us, his face slightly relieved before he yelled out in a panic.

"ED! NERINE!"

We turned to see a whole line of archers along the balcony, now staring at us with their bows in tow.

Edmund grabbed my hand and pulled me into a room as arrows whizzed past us. We fell to the floor as Edmund tried to kick the door close when I felt a sharp pain shoot through my side. I could barely make out a hot, sticky liquid spill from my side as I slipped into a state of black abyss.

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><p><span>Edmund's POV<span>

I finally managed to kick the door close when I noticed Nerine next to me, lying face-down and motionless.

"Nerine?"

I flipped her over and her skin was as pale as ever as I saw a crimson red puddle flow out from her side where an arrow stuck out.

I could hear the archers banging at the door and I quickly picked up Nerine, mindful of the arrow as I ran up the stairs to the top balcony of the tower. I glanced down the stone barrier to see nothing but cliffs and a never-ending black pit.

I whipped around as the guards tried to shove the door down. I pressed against the stone barrier with Nerine tightly pressed against me as the door finally broke down and two guards ran in.

I panicked for a moment when I glanced down between gap in the stone wall.

Turning back to the guards, I smirked as I moved over to the gap and fell backwards with Nerine in my arms, landing safely on the Gryphon as we soared into the sky.

I straddled the Gryphon and held onto its mane tightly as it flew with one arm, the other holding Nerine to my chest tightly. As we glided over the castle grounds, I noticed that it was very quiet.

_Too quiet._

I looked down and my heart wrenched.

All over the courtyard of the castle…

Dead bodies.

Not just dead bodies…

_Dead Narnian soldiers._

I could see Peter gallop away on his horse from the draw-bridge. In front of him, the remainder of our army trudged, a thick sense of anguish and pain brooding over them.

I then looked down at Nerine as she lay unconscious against my chest.

Memories of holding Ella the same way flooded my head.

_When she had plunged the sword through her heart…_

_When she breathed her last breath…_

I ridded my head of those thoughts immediately.

_No._

_I had lost Ella already…_

_Now I couldn't lose Nerine too…_

I could feel Nerine's icy skin as her breathing became shallower and shallower. The blood continued to pour out from her open wound onto my armor.

I held Nerine close to me as we made our way back, praying that we would reach Lucy in time…

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><p><strong>AN: Not my best chap...but still...**

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	10. Matters of the Heart

**A/N: Hey guys. So...this is the next chap. I'm going to be finishing this story probably in the next few days because I really wanna get cracking on the next one. Like I said, this is a series and I wanna do it possibly before school starts again or else i will have no time.**

**ALSO...**

**There is a video of Edmund/Ella on YouTube which my wonderful fanfic friend Maddie Rose made for me. She is so awesome, you should check out her videos and stories as well.**

**Anyway, you can visit my profile which has a link to the video.**

**PLEASE CHECK IT OUT!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 10: Matters of the Heart<strong>

"HEY!"

My head snapped up as I got down from the Gryphon with Nerine still in my arms. I could see Peter and Caspian in the front. Everyone had stopped at Caspian's sudden outburst, and now the two were glaring daggers at each other.

"I am not the one who abandoned Narnia." He muttered, his voice shaking a bit.

"You invaded Narnia." Peter seethed, pointing a finger at him.

"You have no more right to lead it than Miraz does!" He exclaimed.

Caspian shook his head and walked away, shoving Peter in the shoulder.

"You. Him. Your father!"

Caspian froze in his tracks as Peter continued to yell out from behind him.

"Narnia's better off without the lot of you." Peter spat.

Caspian let out a huge yell as he pulled out his sword and pointed it at Peter. In a flash, Peter had his sword at Caspian's neck as well.

"STOP IT!" I yelled, sick and tired of their spew.

The soldiers in front of me parted as I lay Nerine down carefully on a raised stone platform. Her breathing was becoming shallower by the minute and her face was a deadly white-pale. I heard a few gasps and I could make out from the corner of my eye Lucy run towards us, whipping out her cordial. But I couldn't look at her. My eyes were only fixed on Nerine as images of Ella's dead body flashed in my mind.

_Please be alright…_

I could feel a presence behind me but I kept all my attention on Nerine as Lucy slowly pulled out the arrow and poured a drop of her cordial juice into Nerine's mouth. For a moment, Nerine stopped breathing and I held my breath as well, waiting for her to open her eyes. Finally, she coughed a bit and her eyes fluttered open, revealing those damn ocean-blue orbs.

"Thanks." She whispered.

I wasn't sure if it was to me or to Lucy, but I was just so relieved she was alright.

"Oh Nerine. Thank goodness you're alright."

I turned to see Caspian's friend, Lorenzo, gripping Nerine's shoulders as she tried to stand. A red fury suddenly filled me as Nerine leant into Lorenzo's support and smiled weakly at him.

I shot up and stormed away, not wanting to see anymore. I could hear Nerine call out to me, but I just couldn't take it.

I walked past Peter and Caspian, who gazed apologetically and almost shamefully at me. But I couldn't be bothered about them at the moment. I stormed into the How and went over to a secluded area, which we set up as our sleeping or resting chambers. I sat down on one of the make-shift beds and ran a hand through my hair, sighing out in frustration.

"Why Aslan?" I thought out loud to no one in particular.

"Why are you doing this to me? What type of sick game is this? Why do you make me lose the one I truly love, and then send her back only as a stranger in another man's arms? Why do you hate me so much Aslan?" I whispered pathetically, tears threatening to spill from my eyes. As I closed my eyes to prevent that, I heard a soft voice.

"Edmund."

I looked up and saw the Great Lion himself standing before me, serene and majestic as usual.

"Aslan? I murmured in confusion.

"You are losing faith, dear one. Don't. In time, everything will be set right." He rumbled.

"But Aslan…"

"Listen to your heart when in doubt, Edmund. For it is never wrong."

Before I could reply anything, Aslan had disappeared in a blink of an eye. I looked around, puzzled, before looking down and sighing, wishing things would be clearer.

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><p><span>Nerine's POV<span>

"I was so worried when I saw you in that state."

Lorenzo and I were sitting by a small lake just behind the How. After Edmund had stormed off, Lorenzo suggested we escape from the How for a while to get away from all the stress and tension.

"I thought the whole point of this is to try and forget what all happened." I chuckled lightly.

"You're right, you're right. Sorry." He murmured, gazing into the water.

A couple of seconds passed in silence as I stared at my reflection in the water. The same girl was looking back at me, but there was something different about this reflection. It was almost as if I was looking at myself, but at the same time at a complete stranger.

"Lorenzo? Have you ever looked at your reflection in the water, and seen someone else?" I casually asked, still gazing deeply at the image before me.

"Um…no. Not really. Why do you ask?" he questioned, furrowing his brows at me.

"I do sometimes. And I just find it weird. To look at my reflection, know it's me but still feel like I'm looking at a stranger. I know you probably don't understand a thing I'm saying now." I laughed lightly.

"Actually, I kind of do. Before my mother passed away, she used to tell me that our reflections did not show what we looked like, but what we were. She said they reflected what was in our hearts. And sometimes, who we were on the inside was a different person from who we were on the out. I never really understood her until I got a bit older, and experienced some things in life as well." He spoke, his face in deep thought.

"Like?" I prodded softly, suddenly rather curious.

"Well, to begin with, I never really knew my father. He was always in court, always doing his duties as a lord. My mother passed away when I was five. So, you could say I grew up rather alone. Caspian was my best and only friend. He too experienced the same things as me, so we got along well. He's like my brother. My father always praised Caspian as being a better son and prince. Though I was never jealous of Caspian, it did hurt to see my father proud of him more than of me. At one point in my life, I started acting like Caspian a lot, just to please me father. But, it didn't really make a difference to me. I was confused as to why he would still view me as Lorenzo when I literally started to appear and behave like Caspian. Then one day, I looked at myself in the mirror. I had grown my hair like Caspian's. I was wearing his same clothes. I had even tanned my skin to match his. But when I looked in the mirror, I didn't see Caspian at all. I just saw myself, as what I used to look like. Lorenzo. And my mother's words came back to me and that was when I really understood what she meant. Even though I looked a certain way, I was still the same old me inside. My heart never changed. That was why I could recognize myself in my reflection. And no matter what my father says, that's something I'm rather proud and happy about." He grinned, looking at himself in the water.

I smiled in understanding and turned back to my reflection.

_Who am I, then?_

We sat there for a little while longer, pondering over our discussion before Lorenzo finally sighed.

"We should be heading back into the How now, before people start worrying about us." He laughed as he got up.

I nodded slightly and with one final glance at the image of the girl in the water before me, I stood up and walked back to the How with Lorenzo.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT THE VIDEO! (link on my profile) **

**REVIEW! :):)**


	11. Friends and Enemies

**A/N: Hey. Thanks to all my reviewers and those who checked out my videos. Just wanted to let you know that...**

**I'VE MADE A TRAILER!**

**It's on Always and Forever and I uploaded the link to it on my profile.**

**PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE check it out.**

**I put in a lot of work into it and it's my first trailer. If you guys like it, then I will even make one for Dancing in the Rain.**

**ONLY if you like it.**

**So please watch it and review your thoughts about it. :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11: Friends and Enemies<strong>

Caspian's POV

I gazed at the painting of the Four Pevensies standing by their thrones. It had been around an hour since we returned from the raid. All along, I knew the idea of attacking the castle would not work. But Peter, being Peter, insisted that we do it. I stared at his painting and sighed.

He looked majestic and noble, like how a true king was supposed to look like. I had heard that he was known for his chivalry, humility and wisdom, and was seen as one of the greatest Kings of Narnia.

_How did he change so much?_

This Peter seemed like a downright stuck-up stubborn snoot.

I didn't mean to yell at Peter about him abandoning Narnia. I knew that was a little too far. But he was really pushing my buttons by putting all the blame on me. The tragic loss of all the innocent soldiers' lives was _not_ my fault.

_Or was it?_

I was so caught up in interrogating my uncle about my father's death that I momentarily forgot about the plan. I was just so blinded by fury.

_How could my uncle do that?_

_To his own brother?_

"Hi."

I turned to see Susan approach me and stand by my side, gazing at the paintings as well.

"Hi." I murmured back, taking in her demure look.

_She is really quite beautiful._

"I'm sorry on Peter's behalf for what all he said. He has a tendency to…lose his cool when things don't work out. And in a fit of rage he just spurts the wildest of thing." She gave a small laugh.

"Please. Don't apologize. It's not your fault. Besides, I can understand why Peter is stressed and on the edge. I would be too." I replied with a small smile.

"It's hard to live with the guilt that we left Narnia to be vulnerable and weak. It's our fault Narnia is in this state now." She whispered, staring at her own painting.

"Hey." I cooed, putting a hand on her shoulder. "It's not your fault. Everything happens for a reason. I look at it as…if you had not left in the first place, we would have never met." I spoke softly, looking into her soft blue eyes.

"Thanks." She whispered, a small smile tugging at her lips.

We looked at each other for a while before Susan looked away and cleared her throat.

"Um…I was going to go and practice some more archery." She said, slowly walking away.

"Could I join you, perhaps?" the words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop myself.

She blushed slightly and smiled, nodding her head gently.

And so we walked out of the How to the Training grounds, together.

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><p><span>Nerine's POV<span>

I stared at the painting of the boy and girl dancing in the rain. The flashbacks I had kept replying in my mind.

_From the one in the cave…_

_To the one at the cliffs…_

_To the one on the balcony._

All of them involved the same boy and the same girl.

But the faces were just too blurred that I couldn't make out who they were.

_I knew the girl's name was Ella._

_And the boy's name was Ed._

_But did Ed refer to Edmund?_

_And Lorenzo called me Ellannie._

_Was Ella short for Ellannie?_

I was getting a migraine from all the questions which continuously raced through my mind.

"So you proud of your friends?"

I looked down to see the dwarf whom I knew as Nikabrik waddle up to me.

"The Kings and Queens have failed. The army's half dead. You nearly lost your life as well." He spoke, gazing at me intently.

"And your point is?" I snapped, not in the mood for riddles and games.

"You want answers. We want them too. You want knowledge and understanding. We can give them to you." He smirked before walking away into the room of the Stone Table.

"Caspian tried one ancient power. It failed." He spoke as he walked around the Stone Table and I followed him, confused by his words.

"But there is a power greater still. One that kept even Aslan at bay for near a hundred years." He grinned, a weird glint in his eyes.

Before I could ask anything, I heard a growl.

I whipped around to find a cloaked figure walk out from behind the shadows, its face hidden by a hood. In the dim light of the Torches, I would make out it was furry and had a snout. It was slouched and spoke in the gruffest voice.

"I am hunger." He growled lowly, walking towards me with a small limp.

"I am thirst. I can fast a hundred years, and not die." He spoke as he came closer. I also noticed another cloaked figure walk out from the shadows from the other side, approaching me ever-so-slowly. It looked like some type of bird-lady, bald and grimy.

"I can lie a hundred nights on ice, and not freeze. I can drink a river of blood, and not burst. Show…me…YOUR ENEMY!" he yelled as he flung off his hood to reveal himself as sort of a werewolf creature.

I winced at the harshness and loudness in his voice. By now, the two figures were standing on either side of me.

"What you seek, we can find" The bird-lady said in a squeaky, croaked voice.

"No one knows more than us." She cackled.

"And you can guarantee…all my questions will be answered?" I hesitantly spoke, not knowing if these creatures could be trusted.

"All of them." She bowed slightly as a small smirk appeared on her beak-like mouth.

"Let the circle be drawn!" she ordered to the werewolf.

The dark creature drew a circle around me with his sharp claw, emitting a shrill noise. As he carved it around me, images started appearing in my head again and I let out a small cry and held the sides of my head as they flashed in my mind violently, making it throb in pain.

* * *

><p><em>A blonde man in a black cloak was drawing a circle around the same girl with the cane in his hand. <em>

_He was speaking something, but his voice was muffled. _

_The girl was panicking and seemed like she couldn't move her feet._

* * *

><p>The bird-lady was chanting something in a language I couldn't comprehend at all as the circle was drawn. When the werewolf was done, she started crying out something as she held up a weird, glass staff before plunging it into the ground.<p>

Ice started to spread all over the ground and up the hallow wall as it blocked out the statue of Aslan. I was so intrigued by how the ice built up, creeping slowly upwards. The temperature of the room dropped drastically and I could see my own breath.

I narrowed my eyes as I noticed a figure moving in the ice wall. Slowly, a tall lady appeared in the statue, her hair floating all around her. She had piercing green eyes and a gentle face and body.

"Ella dear. How are you?" She spoke in the most serene voice, staring at me intently.

_Did she just call me Ella?_

"W-Who are you?" I stuttered.

Something didn't seem right about this woman.

She laughed out and I could hear the coldness in her laugh, not just figuratively.

"So many questions you harbor child. And I can give you all the answers. All you have to do, is get me out of here. And then everything will become clear." She grinned.

"Wait. No. This isn't what I wanted." I muttered, trying to step out of the circle.

The werewolf caught onto my waist and held my hand out firmly as he cut my palm, making me whimper in pain.

"One drop of your blood, and I am free." She smiled.

She touched her hand to her mouth for a second before pushing it through the barrier of ice, reaching out to me.

Her eyes held onto my gaze and I felt myself being drawn to them, almost as if under a trance. I didn't know what I was doing anymore. I felt myself reaching out to her before I heard a shout.

"No! Stop!"

I couldn't make myself turn around as I heard shouts and yelps behind me, accompanied with the sound of swords clashing.

"Come on." The lady in the ice muttered as she held out her hand further to me.

I almost reached her when I felt myself being pushed to the ground.

"Get away from her!"

I immediately snapped out of my trance and looked up to see Peter in the circle now, his sword pointed at the ice-lady.

"Peter dear." She cooed, in the same tone she used with me.

"I've missed you." She smirked, pushing her hand through the ice barrier again.

Peter's nostrils were still flared in rage but slowly, he brought his sword down as his gaze became almost dreamy.

"Come. You know you can't do this alone." She murmured, sticking out her hand.

Peter's face almost went into a trance before the sound of a sword piercing through ice was heard. Before I knew it, the ice wall had exploded. I held my arms above my head as ice pieces shattered all around.

"I know."

I looked up again to see Edmund standing with a sword where the ice lady was standing mere seconds ago.

"You had it sorted." He muttered to Peter as he got down from the raised platform. He noticed me lying on the floor and immediately ran up to me.

"Nerine? Are you alright?" he murmured as he held my arms gently and helped me to stand.

"Thanks. I'm fine but…" I trailed off as I stared at a red blotch on his arm, continuing to get bigger and bigger.

"What?" he asked, his brows furrowed.

"You're bleeding."

He looked down at his arm and shook his head slightly.

"It's nothing." He muttered.

"Nothing? No, there's a lot of blood. Come on. Let me bandage you up." I spoke softly as I took his good arm and pulled him to the resting chambers of the How.

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><p><strong>AN: Next chap will be rather interesting...so stay tuned. ;)**

**AND DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT MY TRAILER!**


	12. A Familiar Fire

**A/N: Hey! Sorry for the little gap in uploading. Mostly because I spent much of my time on...**

**wait for it...**

**ANOTHER TRAILER!**

**This time, it's for Dancing in the Rain.**

**I know it's weird to have the trailer for it now when the story is comple, but hey, what the heck?**

**So, please check it out. The link to it is on my profile. **

**And thanks to all my reviewers who commented on my videos and the previous chap. Your sweet words mean a lot to me :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12: A Familiar Fire<strong>

I sat Edmund down on one of the makeshift beds and made my way to the infirmary besides the resting chambers. I grabbed a box of medicinal herbs, bandages and washcloths after which I filled a bowl of water.

When I entered the resting chambers again, I noticed Edmund clutching his arm with a scowl on his face as he stared blankly at the floor. I slowly approached him and sat beside his injured arm. I grimaced a bit when I noticed a lot of blood had soaked through his tunic sleeve.

I pondered over how I could bandage the wound through his long-sleeve cut tunic when realization hit me that there was only one way.

"Um…E-Ed." I stuttered, getting his attention.

He turned to me and I gave a pointed look at his sleeve. He merely gazed at me with confusion.

"You…need to r-remove your tunic. So that I can bandage you." I quickly added, feeling the heat rise to my face.

I kept my gaze to the floor as Edmund looked at me for a while before slowly removing his protective gear and tunic.

Finally, he cleared his throat and I looked up to see him with his bare torso holding out his arm slightly as he kept his gaze on the ground.

I had never seen a man shirtless before as my family was very conservative, but there was something familiar about this image of Edmund with his bare upper-body.

_Like as if I had seen him like this before._

I shook my head to get rid of the absurd thoughts and moved on the wound.

It was pretty deep, a long gash running along the middle of his upper arm. It was bleeding heavily so I immediately pressed a damp washcloth to it, wiping away all the blood as gently as I could.

There was a heavy and awkward silence in the air as I cleaned his wound and every now and then rinced out the cloth. The whole time he would refuse to look at my face. Finally, I broke the silence.

"Thank you."

He turned to me puzzled and crinkled his eyebrows.

"For what?"

His tone was so warm and gentle; it was almost alien to hear it coming from his mouth.

"You saved me, back in the castle during the raid. I…never really thanked you for that. So…thank you." I sincerely said as I slowly smeared some medicinal herbs onto the wound.

"Oh. Your welcome, then." He mumbled, his gaze returning to the floor.

My thoughts wandered back to the ice-lady and what all she told me. Her words kept ringing in my head and I opened my mouth before I could stop myself.

"Who's Ella?"

Edmund's head snapped at me and he looked at me with wide eyes as his whole body tensed up.

"How do you know that name?" He asked, his voice low and almost threatening.

"Well, when you first met me, that's what you called me. That's also what the ice-lady…"

"The White Witch."

_Oh, so she was the White Witch!_

_Duh, why didn't I think of that?_

"Yes. That's what the White Witch called me. Also, Lorenzo called me Lady Ellannie when we first met. I can only assume Ellannie is the long term for Ella." I murmured.

I didn't really feel like telling him that was also the name of the girl on all my creepy flashbacks. He would be too freaked out by that.

"What all do you know so far about…Ella?" He questioned, looking at me intently.

"Well, Lorenzo mentioned she saved Narnia but died."

At this point, Edmund's jaw clenched and he closed his eyes for a moment, swallowing hard before opening his eyes and motioning for me to continue.

"A-And he said that she was close to you and your siblings. And that I looked like her. The White Witch addressed me as Ella and asked me how I was, as if we had met before." I spoke in a low voice, for some reason I couldn't meet his eyes.

"That's all?"

I nodded slightly, focusing on his wound more now.

"Why didn't you guys ever mention an 'Ella' when you told me your story?" I couldn't help but ask.

Edmund was quiet for a while, his face hard in deep thought and at one point I swore I saw tears in his eyes before he blinked them away.

"There was no need for her to be mentioned."

His tone was almost cold and hollow as he glared at the opposite wall.

"But then why do so many people think I'm Ella? Even you thought I was her." I pointed out, slowly wrapping a bandage around his arm.

"Like Lorenzo told you, you just…look a lot like her. And when I first met you, I don't know…something in my heart made me call you Ella. But it was just a silly intuition. I didn't even know you then." He muttered and shook his head.

"Well, what does your heart tell you now?"

_Whoa._

_Where did that come from?_

I had no idea why I asked such a question. It just slipped out and I didn't even think about it.

Edmund looked down at me again as I finished up his bandage, tightening the knot. I looked up at him and realized only then how close we were.

His face was really near mine and I could even feel his warm, minty breath fan across my nose. He gazed deep into my eyes as a certain glimmer flashed in his deep brown orbs.

Our noses were nearly touching by now as he kept leaning in. His gaze dropped to my mouth and mine went to his too almost sub-consciously.

I closed my eyes as I felt his hot breath on my mouth, our noses side by side now. Finally, I felt his lips on mine.

They were so soft and warm as they tenderly moved against my own lips. I felt him place an arm around my waist, drawing me closer as I placed my hands on his shoulders. A strangely-familiar fire surged through me and it felt like time itself had stopped.

Suddenly, images started flashing in my mind, appearing blindingly bright before my closed eyelids.

* * *

><p>"<em>Please believe me, Ella. I really have no interest in her. I never loved her, and never will. How could I, when that place in my heart already belongs to someone else?" The same boy from before whispered as he approached the same girl.<em>

_They were on a beach with a beautiful sunset behind them._

"_Another woman, Ed! Wow. You know I thought I knew you well. I guess I was wrong huh?" The girl spoke in a harsh tone as she turned around and walked away._

"_Stop walking away from me, Ella!" The boy yelled as he ran up to her, grabbing her arms and spinning her around angrily._

"_Can't you see I'm completely and madly in love with you?" He whispered._

"_W-What?" The girl stuttered._

_The boy let out a breath before crashing his lips to hers._

* * *

><p>I gasped as I pulled away from Edmund, both of us breathing heavily. I was shaking a bit as the images kept flashing in my mind, making me rather hysterical. I could see Edmund from the corner of my eye looking worriedly and almost guiltily at me as I stared at the ground in confusion and panic.<p>

"Nerine…" he trailed off, reaching out to me.

I jerked at his touch and jumped up, panting heavily as I slowly backed away from the bed. I could feel the sweat forming on my forehead and the same scene just kept replaying before my eyes again and again.

Edmund slowly stood up but before he could say anything, I darted out of the chambers and out of the How, tears forming in my eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And there you go.**

**DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT THE TRAILER FOR DANCING IN THE RAIN! :)**

**Reviews would be largely appreciated and loved. ;)**


	13. Remembering

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for all the awesome reviews! All of you rock, do you know that? ;)**

**But I didn't get many reviews about my trailers.**

**PLEASE CHECK THEM OUT GUYS!**

**I really wanna know what you think about them because I worked really hard on them...**

**Anyway...like I mentioned earlier, I'll be wrapping up this story because I REALLY wanna get started on its sequel. In fact, I'm already on the first chap of the next story! I'm just so excited about this series. **

**Enough with my rambling now...hope you enjoy this chap. **

**Something tell me all the Ella fans will. ;)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 13: Remembering<strong>

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me. My vision was blurred due to my tears so I didn't really know where I was heading. Finally, I slowed down to catch my breath and looked around to find myself standing in the forest. I could still see the How through the thick trees, so I knew I wasn't lost.

I sat down on a fallen tree trunk and wrapped my arms around my knees, hugging them close to me. I cried hard, the tears flowing uncontrollably.

"Why?" I sobbed out, talking to no one in particular.

"Why do I feel this way?" I continued crying out, my voice thick and broken.

"Why does my heart stop every time I look at him? Why does his smallest touch set my skin on fire? Why is it every time he looks at me, it's like he's looking right into my soul? Why do I have this need for him to be near me? Why do I feel dizzy when he talks to me? Why did that kiss make it seem like time itself had stopped and we were the only two people in the world? Why?" I whispered, another wave of sobs attacking me.

I buried my head in my arms, letting the tears fall freely, when it hit me like a ton of brinks and I slowly raised my head.

"I love him."

My voice was barely above a whisper as I hastily wiped away my tears and stood up.

"I'm in love with him." I muttered, my breathing becoming heavier as the truth struck me like lightening.

Tears filled my eyes again and rolled down my cheeks as I fell to my knees and cried out, wrapping my arms around myself.

"I love him. I love him. Aslan, I love him." I kept sobbing out, over and over again.

Suddenly, there was a roar of thunder and I tilted my head up to see dark clouds overcast the sky.

I felt a small drop of water splash onto my forehead, followed by another on my cheek and then another on my nose. Small drops turned into large ones as it began raining heavily.

I slowly stood up, shivering slightly from the chill wind which blew through the downpour. All of a sudden, the images began flashing in my mind and voices filled my head. I squeezed my eyes shut and clutched the sides of my head as the voices ringed in my ears and the scenes played out in my head, one after the other.

* * *

><p>"<em>Excuse me, missie, but I happened to save your life. You would probably be dead by now if not for me! Learn to be a bit more grateful will you!" <em>

"_First of all, don't ever call me missie again. My name is Ella Smith."_

"_Oh, well in that case, thank you SO much King Edmund the Just for rescuing a poor damsel in distress like me. Thank you for bringing me here and treating me like filth!" _

"_That's because you are filth! You useless, vain, insufferable twit! When are you going to learn to have some gratitude and respect for someone superior to you!"_

"_Lucy's right. Will you two ever stop bickering over such trivial matters?" _

"_Trivial matters? Susan, she is causing evil to stir. 100 more years of darkness. That is what is lying ahead for Narnia all because she came here! She's nothing but a curse for us!"_

"_Looks like somebody's jealous."_

"_Jealous? Me? Ha! You're mixing up jealousy and annoyance."_

"_I hate dancing with her. She won't give me room to even breathe! God, I really didn't want to bring her tonight you know, I wanted to bring y-someone less clingy". _

"_And who would that be?" _

"_You."_

"_Another woman, Ed! Wow. You know I thought I knew you well. I guess I was wrong huh?" _

"_Stop walking away from me, Ella!" _

"_Can't you see I'm completely and madly in love with you?"_

"_This is to serve as a permanent promise, Ella, that I will always love you, always be with you and will never let anything happen to you." _

"_Really?" _

"_Really."_

"_Are you mad, Edmund?" _

"_Yes I am. I am mad. About you." _

"_Please Ella. __Dance with me."_

"_I love you, Edmund." _

"_I love you too, Ella."_

"_Forgive me." _

"_Ella? Ella please." _

"_E-Edmund." _

"_I'm right here, Ella."_

"_I-I love you."_

* * *

><p>I gasped as I opened my eyes. My heart couldn't stop racing and I was panting heavily. I saw a figure before me, but it was blurry from the rain and my spinning head. I squinted my eyes and was finally able to make out the figure.<p>

"Aslan?"

The great lion walked towards me, and I could see that even as he was standing in the rain with me, he looked completely dry.

"Well done, child. Well done." He murmured, nodding his head slightly.

"Aslan!" I exclaimed as I flung my arms around his mane in a great hug.

"Oh Aslan! I remember! I remember, Aslan!" I cried out, a huge smile bearing my face.

"Yes dear one. You have passed." Aslan said as I slowly released him.

"Passed? Aslan, was this all a test?" I whispered, still clutching onto his fur.

"In many ways, yes. And in some ways, no. The point is you had a destiny and a purpose to fulfill when I sent you back. And you did."

I beamed but the look was soon replaced with a frown.

"Why did you change me, Aslan? Why did you give me a new identity? A new name?"

Aslan chuckled and lightly shook his head.

"You never changed, Ella. Like I told you before, who you are in your heart is what matters the most. Do you know the meaning of the name, Nerine?"

I shook my head almost bashfully.

"It means Daughter of the God of the Seas."

I gazed at Aslan for a bit before speaking again.

"Why did I only remember now? Of all the other times I had the flashbacks, why didn't I remember then? Why now?" I asked.

"I told you that when your heart was ready, everything would be answered. Only now have you realized the true feelings of your heart. Only now have you realized and accepted that you love Edmund. So that meant that your heart was ready. That _you_ were ready."

I nodded in understanding but couldn't stop myself from speaking.

"You really did an awful thing to me, Aslan. Taking away my memories."

Again, he let out a low chuckle which almost sounded like a rumble.

"By doing that, Ella, they just became stronger."

I nodded, looking down as I let his words sink in.

By the time I raised my head again, the magnificent lion had disappeared.

I wiped away some of the tears and water from my face and smiled widely as I bolted back to the How.

Back to my Edmund.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: HALLELUJAH! **

**NERINE IS ELLA!**

**So from now on, I will refer to her as Ella.**

**No more Nerine, lol.**

**(if you're still a little confused, more will be revealed in the next chap.)**

**Anyway...please let me know your thoughts about this chap!**

**And remember to check out my trailers!**

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! :)**


	14. Reunions

**A/N: Hey. Thanks so much to all my wonderful reviewers. All of you are so sweet! **

**Anyway...from now on the story will be focused a bit more on caspian and susan since until now it's been mainly edmund/ella.**

**And...all those Ella/Edmund fans out there, hope you enjoy this chap! :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 14: Reunions<strong>

Edmund's POV

I plopped back onto the makeshift bed with a heavy thud and ran a hand through my hair.

_What was wrong with me?_

_Why did I do that?_

_I shouldn't have kissed her!_

I felt like punching myself for what I did. In that one moment, when Nerine asked me what my heart told me then, I didn't know what overcame me. My heart was screaming out to me to kiss her, and I didn't even know why. Aslan told me to follow my heart, and I did.

_And what happened from that?_

_Nerine running away in tears._

_Well done Ed_, I thought to myself.

I stood up and went over to an armchair where my shirt lay. As I slipped it on, I heard a cry which made me freeze.

"Edmund!"

I slowly turned around to find Nerine standing at the entrance of the resting chambers. She was panting heavily, as if she had just ran a marathon and was soaked to the bone.

"Nerine…"

Before I could process what was happening, she dashed to me, flung her arms around my shoulders and crashed her lips to mine.

After overcoming the initial shock, I hesitantly placed my hands on her hips, but was too confused to kiss back. My eyes were still wide open and I was staring down at Nerine in puzzlement.

I knew the kiss was wrong. It was wrong of me to be with Nerine just because she looked like Ella, but yet…this kiss was different from our earlier one.

Finally, she pulled away, breathing heavily as her arms still clung around my neck and she looked up into my eyes, a huge grin bearing her face.

"Nerine? Wha-"

"No Edmund. It's me." She whispered, staring into my eyes.

I still was as puzzled as ever, so she spoke again.

"Ella."

My jaw slacked as she beamed at me, caressing the sides of my neck lovingly.

_Did she just say she was Ella?_

_No._

_That's not possible._

"Nerine…if this is some type of weird game, then I really can't…" I trailed off, closing my eyes and shaking my head slightly.

I felt her cup my chin and I opened my eyes to find her blue orbs looking at me intently.

"It really is me, Edmund. Ella. _Your_ Ella." She murmured, holding the side of my face.

I didn't know if she was just playing with me or not.

There was only one way to tell.

Usually, whenever I looked into Nerine's eyes, they did look like Ella's, but they didn't have that spark which Ella's always had when she looked at me.

So I gazed deep into those ocean orbs, searching for the truth.

For that spark.

And I found it almost immediately.

"Ella?" I whispered, cupping her cheek gently.

I couldn't believe it.

_Could my Ella really be back?_

"Yes Edmund. It's me. It's always been me. Always and forever, remember?" she whispered.

That confirmed it.

"Oh Ella!" I cried out as I picked her up and spun her around, the both of us giggling in ecstasy.

When I put her down, I held the sides of her face and just gazed at her, still speechless that my Ella really was back.

I didn't know what to say.

I was just too happy.

So I did the one thing that felt natural to me.

I planted my lips on hers and wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her as close to me as possible.

She immediately responded, running her hands through my hair and tugging it gently, just how I loved it.

I could feel that same fire running through me which I felt whenever I kissed Ella before.

Ella's kiss was sweet, passionate, shy, tender and perfect.

Just like this one.

There was no doubt in my mind that this was Ella.

"Oh my…"

We pulled away quickly as we heard Lucy gasp.

Peter, Susan, Lucy, Lorenzo and Caspian were standing at the entrance of the chambers, watching us with wide, disbelieving eyes.

"Nerine, we didn't know…"

"No, Susan. It's me. Ella."

Oh how my heart leaped with joy as she said that.

I couldn't stop smiling as my eyes never left her beautiful face.

"W-What are you talking about? What's going on?" Peter questioned, walking in and sitting on one of the beds.

"I guess I should explain."

We all nodded simultaneously at her.

Even I was confused.

_If this was Ella, then where was Nerine?_

_Was Nerine Ella?_

_Or was Ella Nerine?_

Peter, Susan and Lucy sat on the makeshift beds while Caspian and Lorenzo leant against the wall. Ella sat in the big armchair and I sat beside her, since it could fit two, my arm wrapped tight around her waist.

"I should start from the beginning." She sighed as we all awaited her explanation.

"After I…died…I went into the sky to be with my Father and Aslan. I always looked over Narnia, and I controlled the seasons and the weather. I always watched the four of you, and…it broke my heart to see you all living life in depression. Everyday I would beg Aslan to send me back to you guys. But he just said it wasn't my time. Then on the day of my death-anniversary, I watched Edmund visit my grave and I couldn't stand to watch him so heart-broken." She whispered, clutching onto my hand and staring at me.

"I heard everything you said, Edmund. And I remembered all those things too." She mumbled with a small smile as tears began to fill her eyes.

"So it was you. That voice." I whispered, realization hitting me that it wasn't my imagination.

Ella nodded slightly as she wiped away some of her tears.

"After that, Aslan told me that you four would be leaving Narnia, and returning to your own world. He said that I would return to your world as well, but not as myself. And it would not be easy to reunite with you all. The next day, I watched you find that lamp-post and return through the wardrobe, and after that Aslan came to me and told me it was my time to go as well. So he sent me back to Earth, but erased my memory and gave me a new life. He made me Nerine, which means Daughter of the God of the Seas by the way."

At this point, all of us gasped at the meaning of her name.

_If only we knew that…_

"That's right." Ella giggled. "And it was…somewhat a test and my destiny to come back here with you all with absolutely no memory and to figure things out all on my own. All this while, I have been having flashbacks of my previous life, but I could never put the pieces of the puzzle together. Finally, after a certain encounter…" She winked at me, " I remembered everything. I remembered my true identity. I realized that I was and am Ella. I have always been Ella." She murmured, smiling at everyone.

Peter, Lucy and Susan leapt of the bed and engulfed Ella in a huge hug, sobbing as they squeezed her tightly.

"I can't believe you're back!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Oh Lucy, you could never get rid of me." Ella murmured, which made us all chuckle as she repeated the same line she used when they first found us in the cave after we escaped from the Witch's castle.

Finally, they let go, giving Ella room to breathe.

"So all this while…you were actually…you?" Susan murmured, still a little confused.

"Well, kind of. It was me, but I just didn't realize it. I just thought I was Nerine. Memory loss can screw up your brain a bit." She chuckled.

"So I was right." Lorenzo mumbled as he approached Ella.

"You are Lady Ellannie Smith." He grinned, bowing slightly.

Ella blushed as Lorenzo gave her a knowing look.

I wrapped my arm tighter around Ella as I glared slightly at Lorenzo.

_No way I'm gonna let him anywhere near my Ella._

"So I guess we address you as Ella now?" Caspian asked.

"Since that is my true name, I would like that." She nodded.

"See Su! I told you so!" Lucy nudged Susan in her ribs.

Susan simply rolled her eyes and smiled politely at Ella.

"We're really happy to have you back Ella. Truth is, it's been torture spending time with you when you were Nerine." She lamented.

Ella scoffed and mocked a hurt look but it disappeared as a grin broke out on her face.

"Ya. Losing your memory really sucks. But Aslan was right when he said that by having that happen, it only became stronger." She smiled, looking at all my siblings first before her gaze landed on me.

We stared at each other for a while. No words were needed to show how happy we were in that moment.

"Uh…we'll just leave you two for a bit." Peter mumbled, ushering the rest out of the chambers.

Once we were alone, I ran a finger down Ella's soft cheek.

"You have no idea how miserable life was without you." I murmured.

Ella giggled the most beautiful giggle in the world and climbed onto my lap, wrapping her arms around my shoulders as she rested her legs where she previously sat.

"If I remember correctly, when we first met, you claimed your life was miserable _because_ of me." She arched an eyebrow.

I kissed her raised eyebrow and leaned my forehead against her temple.

"Well that was before I fell in love with you." I whispered.

We sat for a long time, holding onto each other and relishing in the warm embrace of one another.

"I never stopped loving you, Ella." I spoke as I nuzzled her neck gently.

"I know." She replied, massaging the back of my neck slightly.

A couple of more seconds passed in comfortable silence.

"I'm sorry." She finally whispered.

I frowned at her in confusion.

"I forgot you, Ed. I love you so much, and I forgot you. How could I do that?" She mumbled, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

"Hey…" I cooed, kissing away her tear, "Like you said, It was all Aslan's will. You didn't _choose_ to forget me."

"But I should have at least remembered you sooner. Who knows, if you hadn't kissed me, I would have still lived on as Nerine, never remembering that I'm Ella."

I sighed and wrapped my arms around her tighter, pressing my cheek to hers.

"Everything happens for a reason, Ella. Like you said, by losing your memory, it just became stronger when you regained it. Besides, we shouldn't dwell on the past. I'm just so happy that you're here now, with me, as my Ella." I grinned, kissing her forehead.

"It was so hard for me to live in the sky and watch you everyday. So close, yet so far." She commented, tracing the embroidery on the neckline of my shirt.

"It was hard for me too, Ella. The worst day of my life was watching you die in my arms, and not being able to so anything about it. That one year was the darkest time for me." I replied, remembering how broken I was.

"Hey." She called out, snapping me out of my trance. "Didn't you just tell me not to dwell on the past? Seriously, Edmund. Ever heard of the saying practice what you preach?" she teased, causing me to grin.

_She really hasn't changed one bit._

"Oh how I've missed you!" I exclaimed, hugging her close to me.

"I love you, Ed." She whispered into my chest, clutching onto my shirt tightly as she nuzzled even closer.

"I love you too, Ella."

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><p><strong>AN: WHOOTS!**

**Edmund and Ella reunite! (hence the title)**

**Anyway...**

**REVIEW PLEASE! :)**


	15. Talking and the Telmarine Army

**A/N: Hello. Thanks to all my reviewers for the last chap. Hope you all like this chap. :)**

**BTW, please read the A/N at the bottom. **

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><p><strong>Chapter 15: Talking and the Telmarine Army<strong>

Caspian's POV

I sat upon a ledge overlooking the huge battlefield in front of the How. It was mid-day and quite cloudy, with a soft wind blowing. My brows were furrowed in deep thought as the Professor's words kept ringing in my head.

_"You have the chance to become the most noble contradiction in history. The Telmarine who saved Narnia."_

Growing up, I was always fascinated with the ways of the Old Narnia, and never liked the idea of Telmarines invading Narnia and ruling it, even though I was a Telmarine Prince myself.

I sighed as I thought about my father. He was one of the greatest kings, if not the greatest; to ever rule over Narnia during the Telmarine rule. I always looked up to him, and admired his nobility and justice. My uncle, on the other hand, was corrupt from the start. Finding out that he wanted me dead for the throne was not such a big shock, but finding out he killed my father, that completely shook my world. My father loved his brother to death. Maybe that was the problem. He trusted Miraz blindly, and Miraz took advantage of that.

All these thoughts ran through my mind when I heard the rusting of grass and felt someone beside me. I turned to find Susan sitting beside me, looking out across the field.

"Hi." I murmured, noticing how a small streak of sunlight shone through the clouds on her and she looked like she was glowing.

"Hey." She smiled, turning to look at me. "You okay?"

I sighed and turned back, nodding my head slightly.

"I will be."

There was a moment of pause before Susan spoke again.

"I'm sorry about your father." She whispered.

"Don't be. He was a good man. I only hope now I can live up to him." I mumbled.

I felt Susan place a hand on my arm gently and it set my skin on fire.

"He would have been very proud of you."

I smiled at her comforting words and nodded, looking away again.

"That lady in the sheet of ice from just now. Was she the White Witch?" I asked.

A glimmer of darkness crossed Susan's eyes and she nodded solemnly.

"Jadis. She will just not stop until she wins. Even after death, she's still trying to take over Narnia. And by using Ella again. Was once not enough?" she sighed in frustration, her eyes squinted in anger.

I knew what she was talking about.

Professor told me the story of how Ella was kidnapped and possessed by Jadis to battle against Edmund. Ultimately, the only way she could save Narnia was by getting rid of Jadis, ergo sacrificing herself. I heard that story when I was rather young and even got some nightmares from it.

There was another pause and it was rather awkward and heavy, so I decided to start a new topic.

"So…Nerine is really Lady Ellannie after all."

Susan chuckled and a huge grin bore her face.

"Ya, I'm really glad about that. All of us love Ella. She's like family and having her back, it's fantastic!" She exclaimed.

"True. But I'm sure none of you can be happier than Edmund." I wistfully replied.

"That is true. Did you notice he couldn't stop smiling at Ella throughout her story? I was beginning to wonder if he was even listening or not."

I laughed and nodded, remembering how ecstatic Edmund looked.

"That's what love does to you." I answered.

At that moment, there was a strange sound coming from the distance. Susan and I turned to see a weird silver line slowly emerging from the forest and out onto the field. We squinted and realized it was no mere sliver line.

_It was the Telmarine Army._

They were fully clad in battle gear, marching out into the field in synchronized groups with a few generals on their soldiers among them. Behind them, huge wooden catapults were rolled onto the field as well.

Susan and I jumped up and looked wearily at each other.

"Caspian…have you..." I heard Edmund trail off behind me as he stepped out onto the ledge.

"Oh no." He gasped, his eyes widening at the approaching army.

"I'll alert Pete and the rest." He mumbled as he jogged back inside.

Susan and I stood on the ledge for a while, watching the army march onto the field. I could spot some familiar faces.

General Glozelle.

Lord Sopespian.

Lorenzo's father, Lord Brinton.

And of course…

_Miraz._

Just then, I saw Peter run up beside me. Behind him came Lucy who stood beside Susan and Ella who clutched onto Edmund's hand from her place beside Peter.

Peter glanced at me with a worried look before glaring back at the army.

We watched in silence as they stopped halfway and looked like they were setting up camp.

There was a heavy silence as everyone understood why the army was here.

_They were here for war._

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><p><strong>AN: I know...rather short. Sorry, I shall make it longer from now on.**

**Also...**

**I have been noticing I've been getting less and less reviews.**

**And that makes me...unhappy. :(**

**SO...I will not be updating until I get at least 10 reviews! (even if it's a bad comment, I don't mind)**

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	16. The Plan and the Challenge

**A/N: OK, so I know I didn't get the number of reviews I asked for :( **

**But still...I wanna upload as fast as possible so that I can move onto the next story in the series.**

**So here you go...**

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><p><strong>Chapter 16: The Plan and the Challenge<strong>

Ella's POV

There was a heavy silence in the meeting room as everyone was in deep thought.

Susan and Lucy were standing next to each other, with Lucy gnawing at her nails and Susan staring at the floor.

Caspian sat next to his Professor to the side, his elbows resting on his knees with a far-off look on his face.

Reepicheep, Trumpkin, Trufflehunter and a few other Narnians were standing around, looking as apprehensive as ever.

Peter had his hands resting on a large stone slab as his eyes kept darting around in thought.

I sat beside Edmund, our hands entwined tightly as no one spoke a word.

I was getting rather fed up with the looming silence, so I decided to speak up.

"So what are we going to do now?"

It was a question everyone had on their minds, which I just voiced out.

"We can't go to war with them. We'll be greatly outnumbered." Susan murmured softly to Peter.

Peter, for the first time all this while, looked helpless and clueless.

"Aslan."

Everyone's heads turned to Lucy who was looking desperately at Peter.

"Peter, only Aslan can help us now."

Peter stared long and hard at Lucy, considering her words.

"Let me look for him. We can find him and he can help us." Lucy pleaded.

"Lucy…that will be a big risk. What if you can't find him in time?" Peter reasoned.

"We will." I defended Lucy, letting go of Edmund's hand walking over to her.

Peter stared at us for a long time and I was getting impatient.

"Well?"

Finally, he sighed.

"Alright. We'll go with that plan. Lucy will ride out into the woods and try to find Aslan to help us against the Telmarines."

"Cakes and Kettledrums!" Trumpkin muttered, glaring at Peter.

"That's your next big plan? Sending a little girl, into the darkest parts of the forest, alone?" He growled, pointing at Lucy.

"It's our only chance!" Peter retorted with a glare.

"And she won't be alone." I spoke up beside Lucy as Susan nodded as well.

"Haven't enough of us died already?" Trumpkin whispered to Lucy sarcastically with a hint of depression.

I closed my eyes for a brief second, remembering the tragic sight of watching so many Narnians die in Miraz's castle.

"Nikabrik was my friend too. But he lost hope. Queen Lucy and Lady Ella haven't. And neither have I." Trufflehunter cut in with his head slightly raised.

"For Aslan." Reepicheep said, his sword held over his heart.

"For Aslan." A great grizzly bear repeated innocently, making me chuckle at how cute he looked, sucking his paw.

"Then I'm going with you." Trumpkin mumbled to Lucy.

"No, we need you here." She smiled as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We need to hold them off until Lucy, Susan and Ella get back." Peter sighed.

"If I may…"

We all looked at Caspian who was sitting quietly all this while.

"Miraz may be a tyrant and a murderer. But as king…he is subject to the traditions, and expectations of his people. There is one in particular which could buy us some time." He smirked.

Peter nodded for him to go on.

"A single combat. Their leader against ours. To prevent the bloodshed of armies and to prove the strength of the warrior representing the sides. Usually, the fight is to the death. The one who lives is the winner."

I immediately turned to Edmund who shared a look with Peter.

_We were more than familiar with that type of tradition._

_Heck, that was how I died…_

I could see Edmund tense up as he glanced at me. I merely gave him a small smile to show him I was alright.

_I was way past that._

"Alright then. We shall have the combat. Me against Miraz." Peter nodded.

"Wait. What?"

Caspian looked as confused as ever, which made us confused also.

"You? Peter…I was thinking more along the lines of me going." Caspian murmured.

"Caspian, I understand completely that you have a score to settle with Miraz and you want revenge." Peter calmly spoke, his eyes flickering to Edmund for a moment.

"But as High King…I need to do this." Peter firmly said.

Caspian looked disappointed for a second but nodded his head nonetheless.

"Alright. Someone hand me a parchment and some ink."

* * *

><p>It was decided that I go along with Edmund, Glenstorm and a giant to bargain with Miraz and deliver him Peter's challenge.<p>

We carried palm branches as a sign of peace as we strode across the field to the Telmarine campsite.

I clutched Edmund's hand tighter as we neared the site.

"You alright?" I heard him murmur.

"What if they don't agree?"

Edmund chuckled and squeezed my hand.

"Ella, don't you know me? I'm the Just King Edmund. I'll make them. It's my specialty and talent you know." He smirked at me.

I rolled my eyes though I couldn't stop the small smile on my face.

"Big-Head."

Once we reached the campsite, Glenstorm and the Giant waited outside the tent which held the counsel of the Telmarine Army. I stood at the entrance of the tent, to the side as Edmund stood in the middle.

"I, Peter, by the gift of Aslan, by election and by conquest, High King of Narnia, Lord of Cair Paraval and Emperor of the Lone Islands, in order to prevent the abominable effusion of blood, do hereby challenge the usurper Miraz to single combat upon the field of battle. The fight shall be to the death. The reward shall be total surrender."

Once Edmund was done reading out to the counsel, he rolled up the parchment, waiting patiently for Miraz to answer.

Miraz looked at him for a while, a hint of hesitation in his eyes.

"Tell me, Prince Edmund-"

"King."

"Pardon me?"

"It's King Edmund, actually. Just King though. Peter's the High King. I know, it's confusing."

I couldn't contain a small chuckle at the perplexed looks on the counsel's faces. Miraz must have heard me as he turned and glared at me.

"You girl. Who may you be? One of the Queens?" He smirked.

Edmund turned to me with a slightly worried expression and I simply held my head high.

"No. I am Lady Ellannie. Smith." I gave a small grin, my hands clasped firmly behind my back.

Miraz's face immediately hardened and his eyebrow quirked up.

"I thought Lady Ellannie had died?" He muttered, looking at me intently.

Edmund had turned back to Miraz and though I couldn't see his face, I was very sure he sent Miraz a glare.

"I assure you, I am no ghost. By now, you should know we Narnians have a tendency of…_returning_ to protect our kingdom. One way or another." I quirked an eyebrow at him at the last sentence, my tone rather threatening.

Miraz kept his face impassive at me and quickly turned back to Edmund.

"Why would we risk such a proposal when our armies could wipe you out my nightfall?"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at his arrogant tone.

"Haven't you already underestimated our numbers?" Edmund chuckled.

"I mean, only a week ago, Narnians were extinct."

I smiled at the slightly defeated looks of the council members.

"And so you will be again." Miraz muttered, his eyes narrowed.

"Well then you should have little to fear."

With a roar of laughter, Miraz replied casually.

"This isn't a question of bravery."

"So you're bravely refusing to fight a swordsman half your age." I murmured, a small smirk tugging at my lips.

I could see Edmund's shoulders shake in a chuckle.

"I didn't say I refused." He muttered at me with a scowl.

"You shall have our support, Your Majesty. Whatever the decision." One of the council members spoke up from beside Miraz, causing the rest to nod in agreement.

"Sire, our military advantage alone provides the perfect excuse to avoid what might otherwise be…"

"I'm not avoiding anything!" Miraz growled at the council member who spoke from his right side. He had jumped up and even clutched onto his sword.

Edmund glanced at me and we both looked at each other apprehensively before turning back to the enraged King.

"I was merely pointing out that my lord is well within his rights to refuse." The man defended, holding up his hands slightly.

"His Majesty would never refuse." A General standing a distance from me spoke up.

"He relishes the chance to show the people the courage of their new King."

The General and the council member beside Miraz shared a look and I could tell something was going on internally between them, but didn't ponder on it for long.

"You." Miraz snapped, pointing his sword at Edmund.

"You better hope your brother's sword his sharper than is pen." He mumbled.

* * *

><p>As we walked back to the How, Edmund turned to me with an angry look.<p>

"You shouldn't have threatened him like that."

I rolled my eyes and scoffed.

"Like you didn't give any provoking comments." I shot back.

"Yes, but I didn't threaten him. He could have misinterpreted it and…"

"Fine. I'm sorry." I sighed, looking him in the eyes sincerely with a small smile.

Edmund merely grinned and grabbed my hand, kissing the back of it.

"Though I must say…that was a witty reply about him bravely turning down the challenge."

I shrugged and winked at him with a small giggle.

"Hey, I swear that was what he was trying to do."


	17. The Calm before the Storm

**A/N: YAY ME! 2 chapters in a row. ;)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 17: The Calm before the Storm<strong>

"Well? What did they say?" Peter asked us as we walked into the meeting room for our little trip to see Miraz.

"He agreed." I nodded firmly.

"Good. Ella, you, Susan and Lucy get ready. Caspian, help them. Ed, come with me. While you were out, we came up with some battle strategies just in case the Telmarines decide on a battle. I'll update you on them." Peter mumbled before heading out of the room, followed by Caspian in the opposite direction.

I was about to turn to follow Caspian when I felt Ed grab my wrist. I turned to face him and he cupped my cheek tenderly.

"Please be careful Ella. I don't think I can handle losing you again." He murmured, his big chocolate eyes bearing into mine.

"I will. And the same goes for you too." I whispered back before going on my tip-toes and planting a short but sweet kiss on his lips.

"Come back to me." Edmund murmured as we pulled away.

"I always will Ed. Always and forever, remember?" I chuckled.

He enveloped my lips with his again, pulling me close to him by wrapping his arms around my waist. I buried my hands in his soft, thick black locks and just as he deepened the kiss, we heard Peter's voice and pulled apart with a huge sigh.

"Snog Ella some other time Ed! Right now, we need to go through the plans! Come on!"

With one final hug, we parted ways, setting about our individual missions.

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><p><span>Caspian's POV<span>

I entered the tunnel where the horses were kept to find Susan helping Lucy to mount the horse.

"I used to be so good at doing this." Lucy huffed as she settled into the saddle.

"Well, you had been doing it for years back then." Susan replied.

She put on foot on the saddle and tried to pull herself up.

Something overcame me in that second and I walked forward and held her waist, pushing her up.

She looked surprised for a moment and turned with a start. Once she saw it was me though, she calmed down and let me push her up until she was properly seated in the saddle.

"Thanks."

I nodded with a small smile and began to strap in their feet securely to the saddle loops.

"Is this your horse, Caspian?" Lucy asked with an innocent smile.

"Yes. Her name is Destrier. I've had her since I first started riding when I was 10 years old." I replied.

"I'm really happy for you about that. But I would very much like to know which horse I would be riding. I obviously can't share the saddle with Su or Lu."

I turned to see Ella approach me with a cheeky smile.

"Um…you can use the Professor's horse. Alecko." I motioned to a black horse next to Destrier.

Ella walked over to the horse and mounted it with no problem at all.

"That's not fair. How come you could do it so easily, Ella?" Lucy pouted.

"Skill, my friend. Skill." Ella giggled.

"Don't worry. You'll get back to the kick of things." She cooed comfortingly to Lucy, who was frowning slightly.

I could see Ella strap herself in easily, so I decided to help Susan and Lucy instead, since Ella was perfectly fine on her own.

"Destrier has always served me well. You are in good hands." I mumbled as I adjusted the saddle belts.

"Or hooves." Lucy spoke, making me smile at her joke.

I looked up at Susan who was sitting in front of Lucy on the horse. In the dim glow of the fire in the tunnel, her eyes still held a sparkle and I got lost in them for a second before snapping out of it.

"Good luck."

"Thanks." She murmured, looking away.

I could see Ella sitting on her Alecko next to Destrier looking at me with a smirk and I looked back down, trying to fight a blush as I unclipped Susan's horn from my belt and held it up to her.

"Look. Maybe it's time you had this back."

She looked at me and the horn for a second before a small smile played on her lips.

"Why don't you keep it? You might need to call me again." She smirked before riding away with Destrier.

Ella chuckled and shook her head as she rode after Susan, winking at me in the process.

In the echoes of the tunnel, I could faintly hear their voices still.

"_You might need to call me again?" _

"_Shut up, Ella."_

"_No wonder you never got any boyfriends back home Su."_

"_Ugh."_

I chuckled at Ella and Lucy taunting Susan, but still frowned in confusion.

_What just happened?_

* * *

><p><span>Edmund's POV<span>

As I adjusted Peter's chainmail, my thoughts kept drifting back to Ella and Susan and Lucy, and if they would be safe all alone out there.

"Pete, do you think it was a good idea sending the girls out like that?" I mumbled as I handed him his helmet.

"I mean…what if the Telmarines see them riding out and follow them?"

Peter turned to me and he seemed to be in deep thought before finally responding.

"I'll send Caspian after them. Just in case."

I sighed and nodded in approval.

_At least Caspian will be there in case anything happens._

_Aslan, please don't let anything happen to Lucy or Susan._

_Or Ella._

"Caspian!" Peter called out to the Prince who was just coming out of the tunnel which led to the horses.

"I need you to follow the girls. In case the Telmarines spot them and go after them." Peter instructed.

With a small but firm nod, Caspian jogged back into the tunnel.

Finally, once Peter was ready, we made our way out of the How.

As we walked out into the blazing sunlight, I clutched onto Peter's sword as the sounds of Narnians cheering all around us filled my ears.

With every step I took, I prayed to Aslan.

_I prayed Peter would survive and win the duel._

_I prayed the girls would find Aslan in time._

_I prayed we would get Narnia back, and the Telmarines would surrender._

_Lastly, I prayed for Ella._

_That she would come back to me, safe and sound._

We had reached the square courtyard where Miraz and his supporters stood on the opposite side, getting ready.

Memories of dueling Ella flooding my mind, when I had stood in the same type of court after sparring with her and watched her plunge the sword into her heart.

I shook my head to rid such horrid memories.

_No._

_Ella's back now._

_She's alive._

_Right now, the only thing which matters is Peter's duel._

I held out Peter's sheathe and Peter pulled out Rhindon, stepping forward with a look of pure determination and drive on his face.

I laid his sheathe down on the floor and watched Peter and Miraz circle each other for a bit.

All I could do now was pray.

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><p><strong>AN: Things are pretty movie-verse right now. I just want to wrap up this story and move onto the next one cuz the next one is...well...pretty exciting for me to write.**

**But still...do review!**

**I wanna know what you people think of the little Ed/Ella moments and Ella's character.**

**I'm trying as hard as possible not to make her a Mary-Sue...**

**And the Suspian moments. ;)**

**Let me know your thoughts and opinions. Even if you have some suggestions as to where the story or relationships could head, just tell me and I will consider. :)**


	18. The Telmarines, the Lion and Nereus

**Chapter 18: The Telmarines, The Lion and Nereus**

Ella's POV

We rode as fast as the horses could go through the forest, our eyes scanning every tree and every shadow for any sign of that golden figure.

"They've seen us!"

I turned to see Lucy and Susan glance at the side. I followed their line of vision and saw a few Telmarines on horses through the trees, chasing after us.

More of them started to appear on either sides of us and we kicked our horses to go even faster, putting some distance between us and them.

Suddenly, Susan stopped Destrier, making me stop Alecko.

"Take the reins." Susan instructed to Lucy as she slid off the horse.

"What are you doing?" Lucy murmured with a look of worry etched on her face.

"I'm sorry Lucy. But you have to go on. Ella will be with you. So don't worry." She cooed.

"What? Susan, we are not leaving you behind." I firmly said.

"No Ella. You have to go. We don't have time. Take care of Lucy. And yourself." She mumbled with a small nod, before slapping both our horses on the back, making them gallop away.

As Lucy and I rode to a top of a small ridge, we could still see Susan through the trees. She had her bow and arrow out and looked back at us with a determined and encouraging look, before turning back to face the Telmarines.

"Come on." I murmured to Lucy as she frowned at Susan, alone in the middle of the forest.

With a pained look, she turned back around and we continued riding through the woods in search of Aslan.

* * *

><p><span>Caspian's POV<span>

I rode of the spare horses named Poppy through the woods, searching for the three girls. I had heard hooves in the distance ahead, which meant they couldn't be far in front. As I rode faster, I realized the sound of hooves didn't come from the girls…

But from Telmarines.

They had spotted them and through the trees I could see Susan by herself with no horse shooting arrows repeatedly at the Telmarine soldiers who kept coming after her, one after the other.

I kicked Poppy even faster and finally reached the clearing where Susan was battling the multiple Telmarines.

A horse had kicked her to the ground and a Telmarine soldier was about to strike her when I reached in the nick of time, pulling out my sword and clashing it against the soldier's. I managed to slash at his neck and knock him off his horse.

I turned back to Susan who was still lying on the ground, a small smile on her lips.

"Sure you don't need that horn?" I mumbled with a smirk, holding out my hand.

Susan grabbed my hand and I pulled her up the horse behind me in the saddle. She wrapped her arms tight around my waist and I kicked Poppy to ride back in the direction of the How.

"Thanks." I heard her murmur as we rode back to where Peter was dueling Miraz.

"It was nothing. Besides, you took down ten of them before I killed one." I replied with a smile, though she couldn't see it.

"I hope Lucy and Ella are okay. I think I saw a Telmarine soldier ride after them while I was dueling the others." She mumbled in a worried tone.

"Don't worry. The two of them should be able to handle one soldier." I comforted, though I too worried for their safety.

* * *

><p><span>Edmund's POV<span>

As Peter hobbled back, I immediately rushed to him and held his back as he walked with a limp and a wince in every step.

Suddenly, the sound of hooves could be heard and I looked up to see Caspian and Susan ride out of the woods and dismount the horse, coming up to us.

"Lucy?"

"Ella?"

Peter and I mumbled at the same time as we looked apprehensively at the two.

"They got through. With a bit of help." Susan murmured, glancing at Caspian.

"Thanks." Peter breathed.

"Well, you were busy." Caspian mumbled, not really used to Peter being polite with him.

"You better get up there. Just in case. I don't expect the Telmarines to keep their word." Peter instructed to Susan through his pants.

Susan pulled Peter into a tight hug which made Peter wince a bit in pain.

"Sorry."

"It's alright."

"Be careful." Susan murmured as she looked at Peter intently for a second before turning back to the How.

"Keep smiling." I mumbled as I noticed the Narnians staring at Peter in worry for their King.

Peter bore a wide grin and raised his sword, making the Narnians cheer.

Caspian helped him into the chair and helped to remove his shield from his arm. Peter winced in pain as Caspian walked off behind him.

"I think it's dislocated." Peter mumbled as he panted and clutched his left shoulder.

I immediately made my way to him and inspected his shoulder.

_Yup, definitely dislocated._

"What do you think happens back home, if we die here?" Peter mumbled, making me stop in my actions and look at him.

It did worry me that we would not survive today, but I did not want to dwell on those thoughts, and I knew Peter shouldn't either.

"You know you've always been there, and I never really…"

Before he could finish, I popped his shoulder back in place, making him yelp in pain.

"Save it for later." I mumbled to him, praying that there would be a later.

As Peter got up, I handed him his helmet, but he merely shook his head as his face was still drained in exhaustion.

Watching Pete walk back into the duel, I prayed again that my older brother would win and would live.

* * *

><p><span>Ella's POV<span>

We continued riding through the woods, determined to find the lion no matter what. Suddenly, the scared voice of Lucy made me turn around.

"They're still after us!"

I could see a Telmarine soldier on his horse riding parallel to us through the trees. I tried to make Alecko ride faster, but we were already riding as fast as we could.

"Ella look!"

I turned back to Lucy to see her looking at something moving through the woods on our opposite side. I squinted even more to make out that the figure was a particular shade of golden.

_Could it be…_

Suddenly, the figure leaped through the trees onto a raised ledge before us. Destrier got startled and went on her hind legs, knocking Lucy off.

"Lucy!" I shrieked as I jumped off Alecko and kneeled by her, clutching her shoulders.

We looked up to see a lion growling ferociously at us before looking behind and leaping over us.

Lucy and I ducked and we turned to see the lion jump onto the Telmarine soldier. I held Lucy close to me as we watched the Lion growl at the Telmarine, who just ran off in fear.

Finally, the great beast turned back to us and looking deep into his eyes, we found that familiar sparkled and broke out into huge grins.

"Aslan!"

The both of us jumped up and pounced onto the lion, knocking him to the ground with a chuckle as we clutched onto his fur tightly.

"I knew it was you. The whole time, I knew it. But the other didn't believe me." Lucy murmured as we got into sitting positions in front of Aslan.

"Hey! I believed you! I also knew it was Aslan." I nudged Lucy gently as I beamed at the great King.

"And why would that stop you from coming to me?" Aslan rumbled calmly.

Lucy and I looked down in sheepishly as Aslan gazed at us intently.

"I'm sorry. I was too scared to come alone." Lucy mumbled, her eyes still on the forest floor.

"Why wouldn't you show yourself?" I asked softly.

"Ya. Why couldn't you come roaring in and save us like last time?" Lucy murmured with a frown.

I knew she was referring to when Aslan had saved them during the battle with the White Witch.

"Things never happen the same way twice, dear ones." Aslan replied.

I could see a smile in Lucy's eyes when he said that but it immediately disappeared and she frowned again.

"If I'd had come earlier…would everyone who died…could I have stopped that?"

Aslan's face fell a bit solemnly and he replied softly.

"We can never know what would have happened, Lucy. But what will happen is another matter entirely." Aslan spoke as his voice became louder and encouraging.

"You mean you'll help?" I asked as hope filled me.

"Of course. As will you." He mumbled, glancing at Lucy.

"Oh. I wish I was braver." Lucy whispered, her gaze lowered.

"If you were any braver, you'd be a lioness." Aslan chuckled as he stood up, making us stand as well.

"Ella, I hope you remember how to use your powers." Aslan mumbled to me.

"Of course. Like you said, my memory is stronger than ever." I smiled.

"Good. You'll need it."

I frowned in confusion and before I could ask anything else, he spoke again.

"Now, I think your friends have slept long enough, don't you?" Aslan chuckled before letting out a loud and powerful roar, making the leaves in the trees rustle.

* * *

><p><span>Edmund's POV<span>

"Lucy and Ella."

I could hear Peter mumble to Caspian as we watched in astonishment the trees move onto the battlefield, knocking out several Telmarine soldiers.

_This could only mean the girls had found Aslan._

_That meant they were safe._

I breathed a sigh of relief when suddenly the ground started to shake. I looked around to see the trees had plunged their roots into the ground. I watched the roots glide through the soil towards the huge catapults and crush them. The Narnians cheered as the machinery crumbled, meaning their strongest defense was destroyed.

The Telmarine soldiers started retreating into the woods, probably scared by the moving trees, but we weren't going to let them get away that easily.

"Spineless cowards!"

I looked down to see Reepicheep chase after them with his sword held high.

The Narnians began chasing the Telmarines as they ran into the woods, towards Beruna.

Peter and I shared a smirk before chasing after them as well.

Suddenly, the Telmarine army stopped just as they exited the thick forest. We stopped behind them, our swords at the ready as we realized they were trapped between us and the river.

They began to cross the bridge and the river when they stopped again. I looked through the crowds to see three figures at the opposite river bank.

Peter, Caspian, Susan and I stood in a line in front of the Narnians and behind the Telmarines as we watched the figures walk towards the army and stop just before the bridge.

I squinted my eyes and my face broke out into a grin as I recognized Lucy and Ella standing on opposite sides of Aslan.

The Telmarine army hesitated a bit but I heard a cry of "Charge!" and the army started to cross the river again.

Suddenly, a huge roar erupted from Aslan's mouth, making the river break into large ripples as the army stopped again and looked apprehensively at the lion and two girls.

* * *

><p><span>Ella's POV<span>

I could see one of the leaders of the army, the same man who provoked Miraz in the tent, as he stared confused at me, Aslan and Lucy.

Aslan turned to me with a small nod and I immediately realized and understood what he meant about what he said to me back in the forest.

I gave him a small nod and smile before turning back to the river.

I closed my eyes and breathed in deep, looking into my heart as I summoned all the strength and power I had.

The sound of waves crashing could be heard and I looked up to see the river level decreasing as a huge wave started rolling towards the bridge from a distance. The wave got higher and higher until it burst into a figure of a man.

As the man drifted in his water-form towards the bridge, he turned to nod at Aslan and then look at me.

"Hello Father." I whispered, knowing he could still hear me despite my hushed tone.

He nodded at me as well before ducking under the bridge and lifting the wooden surface onto his shoulders. By now, Telmarine soldiers were screaming and shouting, trying to desperately get out of the water.

As Nereus held the bridge before his eyes, I could see the same leader on his horse look timidly at the flowing water-face of my father before screaming out and waving his sword frantically in front of him.

I chuckled and shook my head at his silly, useless attempts and spoke in my heart again.

_Finish him, Father._

In a flash, Nereus crushed down into the river with the Telmarine, causing him and the man to disappear into the blue abyss of the water as the river returned back to its calm state.

The Narnians began wading through the river and rallying the remaining Telmarine soldiers. I could see Trumpkin signal to the surrendered soldiers where to drop their weapons and where to assemble.

Lucy, Aslan and I watched the three Pevensies and Caspian wade through the river towards us. Susan and Peter gazed sheepishly at Aslan for a bit and Edmund smiled at me warmly before all four of them fell to their knees simultaneously before the great Lion.

"Rise, Kings and Queens of Narnia." Aslan murmured.

Edmund, Peter and Susan rose at the same time and I headed over to hold Edmund's hand as we smiled to each other, relieved the other was safe.

I noticed Caspian was still kneeling on the ground. So did the others and Aslan.

"All of you."

Caspian looked up as he let Aslan's words sink in.

"I do not think I am ready." He murmured, looking down again.

"It's for that very reason I know you are."

With a grateful smile, Caspian finally rose and Edmund and I offered him encouraging and affirming smiles.

Suddenly, the sound of bagpipes could be heard and we looked down to find a band of mice marching and playing solemn music as they carried an injured Reepicheep on a stretcher in front of them.

Lucy gasped and immediately ran forward, pouring a drop of her healing potion into the mouse's mouth.

After a second, Reepicheep took in a huge breath and coughed, getting up slowly.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. Thank you." He panted, steadying himself on his…paw-feet.

"Oh! Hail Aslan! It's a great honor to be in…" Reepicheep began to exclaim as he held pu his hand to Aslan before he feel forward unsteadily.

He was out of balance and that was when I noticed his tail was missing.

"I'm completely out of countenance!"

I suppressed a giggle as Reepicheep covered his little tail rump with his paws, his furry cheeks turning red.

"I must crave your indulgence for appearing in this unseemly fashion. Uh…Perhaps a drop more?" He looked up at Lucy and her cordial hopefully.

"I don't think it does that." Lucy spoke apologetically.

"You could have a go." Reepicheep murmured adorably with his wide, desperate eyes.

"It becomes you well, small one." Aslan murmured to Reepicheep.

"All the same, great king. But I regret that I must withdraw, for a tail is the honor and glory of a mouse." Reepicheep formally spoke, holding his ring-feathered-hat over his heart.

"Perhaps you think too much of your honor friend." Aslan chuckled.

"Well, it's not just the honor. It's also great for balance. And climbing. And grabbing things." As Reepicheep enlisted the list of advantages of his tail, Aslan glanced at me with an amuse smile, and even I was amused that this small mouse could converse so casually with a lion.

_But…this was Aslan we were talking about._

"May it please, Your Majesty, we will not bear the shame of wearing an honor denied to our chief." A mouse spoke up, as he and the rest held a sword to their tails.

Edmund and I smiled at each other at how respected and honored Reepicheep was. He sure did deserve it.

"Not for the sake of your dignity, but for the love of your people…"

As Aslan trailed off, we all stared surprised as Reepicheep's tail grew back perfectly.

"Oh! Thank you Your liege. I will treasure it always. From this day forward, it will serve as a great reminder of my huge humility." Reepicheep exclaimed as he bowed lowly.

"Now, where is this dear little friend you've told me so much about?" Aslan asked as he looked at me and Lucy.

We turned to look at Trumpkin who was still handling the Telmarine soldiers.

Trumpkin noticed Aslan looking at him and sheepishly bowed before him, his eyes bearing into the ground as his face turned red.

Aslan let out a loud growl-cum-roar at Trumpkin, which made the dwarf wince a bit in fear.

"Do you see him now?" I mumbled, staring amused at the mortified dwarf.

As the rest laughed, I turned back to Edmund and flung my arms around my neck, burying my face into his shoulder as we hugged tightly, just happy that we were safe and together, at last.


	19. The Choice

**Chapter 19: The Choice**

Caspian's POV

It had been a week since my coronation as King of Narnia and everything was perfect. The Pevensies and Ella had moved into the castle and were staying happily with me.

One day, Aslan came to me and asked me to rally the people for a gathering in the court near the castle. He had told me that he was giving the Telmarines a choice to stay in Narnia or leave and start life afresh somewhere else.

"Narnia belongs to the Narnians just as it does to Man. Any Telmarines who want to stay and live in peace are welcome to. But for any of you who wish, Aslan will return you to the home of our forefathers." I spoke to the people I now rule.

I felt a sense of pride bubble in me as I addressed my people.

_I was King now._

_I had fulfilled my Father's wish._

"It's been generations since we left Telmar." A random man from the crowd spoke.

"We're not referring to Telmar. Your ancestors were seafaring brigands. Pirates run aground on an island. There they found a cave, a rare chasm that brought them here from their world. The same world as our Kings and Queens. It is to that island I can return you. It is a good place for any who wish to make a new start." Aslan murmured deeply.

"I will go."

I scanned the crowd to find the voice and realized that it belonged to none other than General Glozelle.

"I will accept the offer."

I was rather taken aback by bowed slightly to him nonetheless. I had known the General since I was six years old and I knew he was good man.

_He was just a good man with a bad leader._

As he walked up to Aslan, I heard another feminine voice.

"So will we."

I watched my aunt cradle my new-born cousin as my grandfather and her joined General Glozelle to face Aslan.

_I was happy my aunt decided to go down this path._

_She was like a second mother to me and she and the baby deserved a new start._

"Because you have spoken first, your future in that world shall be good." Aslan said before he gently breathed onto them.

Suddenly, a cracking sound was heard and I turned to see the great tree under which we were all assembled was turning and slowly splitting in half, revealing a small tunnel in the trunk.

General Glozelle, my aunt and my aunt's father looked rather apprehensive but walked through the tunnel nonetheless. After their first two steps, they suddenly vanished into thin air, causing uproar of confusion amongst the crowd.

"Peace, my people. Aslan would never harm any of us. He's the one who saved Narnia. No bad words shall be spoken about him or his actions." I firmly said.

The crowd calmed down and we waited for a while to see if any others spoke up. When no one did, Aslan turned to Ella and the Pevensies.

* * *

><p><span>Ella's POV<span>

"Children."

The tone in his voice made me worry a bit.

_Did we have to leave too?_

"Do we have to go?" Lucy voiced my concern.

"I am giving you a choice. Either you can stay in Narnia or you can return to your own world. Though I must warn you, if you choose to stay in Narnia, all trace of you in the real world will cease to exist." Aslan murmured.

"You mean, we'll be considered dead back in England?" Susan mumbled.

"No. You just would have never existed in the first place. Your parents would have never had you. No one would have known you. Therefore, no one will remember or miss you." Aslan murmured.

The siblings were in deep thought for a while, turning over the different situations in their head. That was when a thought struck me.

"What about me?"

"You too have the choice Ella. When you died in your previous life, you already ceased to exist in your world and time. Now, when your life in England was as Nerine, if you choose to stay the same thing will be. You will cease to exist."

I already knew in my heart that I wanted to stay in Narnia. My parents, when I was Nerine, would be all right and still happy even if they never had me. But my life as Nerine was not the one which bothered me.

"What about my mom? My real mom when I was Ella." I mumbled.

_Would she have to be alone?_

"All your loved ones will be all right, Ella. I will make sure of that." Aslan comforted.

That made me extra sure about my decision.

"I want to stay Aslan." I firmly said.

Aslan nodded slightly with a small smile.

I knew Narnia was my real home. This was where I belonged. I was the Daughter of Nereus. This was my homeland.

I felt Edmund slip his hand into mine and I turned to see him smile warmly at me.

"Then I'm staying as well. There is no way I'm letting go of you, Ella Smith." He murmured.

I chuckled and gripped his hand, leaning closer to him until our sides were tightly pressed, our eyes locked with each other.

"We'll stay too. We can't leave Ed behind and besides, Narnia is our true home." Peter smiled at Aslan.

"If that is your final decision, then so it be. In that case, I don't think you should go through that dreaded ageing process again." Aslan rumbled.

Suddenly, I felt a tingle go through me and I looked down to see myself slightly taller and my hair was longer. I was more developed and I looked exactly like how I looked when I first came to Narnia.

I turned to see, to my surprise, the four siblings had aged quite a bit and they all looked just like how I remembered them from when I first met them.

"You are now as old as when you were last in Narnia." Aslan explained.

I looked up at Edmund who had grown slightly taller and broader. His hair was a little longer and he had a mature face as well.

_Just like how he was when I first saw him._

I was happy it was like this. I wasn't used to the Pevensies looking rather young, especially Edmund.

I glanced at Caspian and he was staring at Susan, who had developed as well.

_Good._

_It would be creepy if anything happened between them with the age gap._

I clutched Edmund's hand and smiled at my new family.

My life in Narnia was just beginning.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Just in case you'll didn't know...**

**Ages of the Pevensies before they left, (and now)**

**Edmund (and Ella)- 18**

**Lucy- 17**

**Susan- 21**

**Peter (and Caspian)- 23**

**As of this point in the story, these are the ages of the characters. **

**If anything else doesn't add up from before or the prequel, just ignore all of that and take these as their ages.**


	20. Ella Pevensie

**A/N: EPILOGUE.**

**3 YEARS LATER...**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 20: Ella Pevensie<strong>

_Heart beats fast_

_Colors and promises_

_How to be brave_

_How can I love when I'm afraid to fall_

As I stood behind the great white marble doors which opened into the Great Hall, I took in a deep breath to calm my racing heart. I could hear the buzz on the other side of the door. I ran a hand down my dress to ensure everything was straight and proper. I gripped the bouquet of white roses in my hand as I closed my eyes and let reality sink in. I kept thinking if I was really ready for this. What if he changed his mind? What if I was not ready? What if this was a mistake? I was so afraid of what lay ahead in the future. This was a huge step and it would change my life forever.

_But watching you stand alone_

_All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow_

_One step closer_

I heard Caspian announce my cue and the royal trumpets blew as the music started. There was no turning back now. I took in another deep breath and the doors finally opened. I looked up to find the love of my life standing at the end of the aisle in front of the Great Lion. He had his hands clasped behind his back and a gentle smile graced his features as he gazed at me with those chocolate-brown eyes. He looked so wonderful in his black suit, his hair still disheveled like usual, just the way I loved it. It was like a weight was pulled off my heart as I started making my way down the white aisle, my eyes never leaving his. I mentally scolded myself for harboring such thoughts about this being a mistake. There was no way that was possible. I knew that this was the man for me and the only one my heart wanted and needed. As I walked down the aisle, my heart soared with every step I took, closer to the man I loved.

_Time stands still_

_Beauty in all she is_

_I will be brave_

_I will not let anything take away_

_What's standing in front of me_

The doors opened and I saw the love of my life take her first step down the aisle. My heart swelled as I watched her. She smiled at me, her ocean-blue eyes staring into mine as a faint, adorable blush appeared on her smooth, flawless skin. The strapless white wedding dress hugged her figure and flowed out from her waist, decorated in small sequin flowers as it trailed gracefully behind her. A small tiara rested on her head with a long vail pinned to it, flowing down her long chestnut-brown hair. She looked like an absolute angel. As she glided down the aisle, I swore to myself that I would never let any harm near her. She was the most precious gem of my life, and I could not stand the thought of not having her with me, safe and loved. This was my biggest moment and it was going to change my life forever.

_Every breath_

_Every hour has come to this_

_One step closer_

I thought back to all the memories I cherished with her, the good and the bad. From our first fight, to our first kiss, to when she died in my arms, and when she remembered me finally. As she walked demurely towards me, my heart soared with every step she took; the girl I loved was getting closer.

_I have died everyday waiting for you_

_Darling don't be afraid_

_I have loved you for a thousand years_

_I'll love you for a thousand more_

Finally, she reached me as I took her hand and approached Aslan. We faced each other and I immersed myself in those blue eyes, never wanting to resurface again. Aslan began the ceremony, but his words drifted to the back of my head as I stared at the angel in front of me, wondering what I ever did to get her. She smiled warmly at me and I wanted to take her in my arms there and then, just never letting go. The worst days of my life were after I had lost her. I would never forget the heartache I suffered when I watched her go limp in my arms. Every day was torture that I had to live with the knowledge that she was gone. I prayed to Aslan every second during that period that somehow she would return to me. It seemed like centuries before she finally did return to me, but even that was painful as she only returned as a stranger with no memory of me or our love whatsoever. Now, finally, she was here. Right in front of me. And in a few minutes, our souls would be united forever as one.

It got to the part where I had to give her the ring. As I slipped the gold band onto her ring finger, I gazed into her eyes lovingly and smiled slightly at her blushing cheeks.

"Do you, Edmund Pevensie, take this woman as your wife? To have and to hold? To cherish and to love? In sickness and in health? For richer or for poorer? For better or for worse? For as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

_All along I believed I would find you_

_Time has brought your heart to me_

_I have loved you for a thousand years_

_I'll love you for a thousand more_

I turned to face my love as Aslan started to speak. All eyes in the Great Hall were on me but to me, it was like we were the only two in the room. I remembered the pain and agony in his face as he held me and my life slowly slipped away from me. Even as I was dying, I could feel my heart breaking at his cries and pleas. For the time after that, I had to watch him from the sky. I had to see him live his life in misery. I had to hear him cry out to me and beg me to come back, and there was nothing I could do. It was torture to be so close to him, yet so far. And when I finally returned to him, it hurt to see him push me away and I not even know how much he meant to me until I finally remembered. Now, finally, he was here. Right in front of me. And in a few minutes, our love for one another would become eternal and ultimate, bound by the strings of our hearts.

As he slipped the ring onto my finger, my heart leapt with glee as I realized this was really, really happening. And I was going to remember and cherish this moment forever.

"Do you, Ellannie Smith, take this man as your husband? To have and to hold? To cherish and to love? In sickness and in health? For richer or for poorer? For better or for worse? For as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

_I have loved you for a thousand years_

_I'll love you for a thousand more_

"Narnia! I present to you a new queen! Queen Ellannie!" Aslan exclaimed.

Ella bowed slightly as Caspian placed the silver circlet gently on her head, Edmund beaming at her with pride and love.

"You are now Edmund and Ellannie Pevensie. Husband and Wife. Edmund, you may kiss your bride!"

Edmund pulled Ella close to him, wrapping his arms around her waist as he planted his lips on hers in a sweet, gentle but passionate kiss. As the whole Hall burst into applause, Edmund and Ella finally pulled away and gazed at each other, their foreheads resting against the other as it seemed like only they existed in the world.

"I love you, Edmund Pevensie."

"I love you too, Ella Pevensie."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: AAAAAH! IT'S THE END! :(**

**This is like Dancing in the Rain all over again.**

**But this is not goodbye my friends!**

**I've already started on the next story.**

**It's called The Price of Love and it focuses on Susan/Caspian and a bit of Ed/Ella after this.**

**Stay tuned for the next story and I will see you again soon. ;)**

**(BTW song is A Thousand Years by Christina Perri. Suits them perfectly, don't you think)**


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